Regarding car ownership, it’s rising dramatically even in the last year. At one point it was far more limited, but the DPRK’s economy is booming and trade with China is rising.

It's about time...

As for China’s rural conditions, I’m well aware of the urban/rural gap

As we recently discovered, this is a side effect of the NEP. It has spawned a class of wealthy individuals who will be incredibly difficult to combat later on. They will not simply yield to "soft power." They must be "dekulakized." How this is to be carried out in practice, I do not understand.