Chinese sellers appear to be illegally sending mortgaged cars with unresolved ownership claims to North Korea, taking advantage of the DPRK’s inaccessibility to cash in before lenders can repossess the vehicles.

The phenomenon, which is detailed in Chinese social media posts analyzed by NK News, illuminates how newer vehicles could be flowing into North Korea in violation of sanctions, amid new evidence of cross-border smuggling and a surge in private car ownership in Pyongyang.