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I spotted this Little Tikes ride-'em car parked outside a Kangnung (Gangneung) shop one day in May, 2000.
(I would have loved to have asked the shopkeeper if this was his daily driver. It would've
just confused him, though. Such jokes don't usually translate very well.) Seriously, Little Tikes is one of the few companies still making toys in the US, which makes this a foreign car. That's a bit unusual, even today (I mean the fact that it's a foreign car in Korea). At one time, Koreans who bought foreign vehicles could expect to be harassed with tax audits. The government assumed that only the wealthy could afford an import, and if you were that rich, then they were going to make sure you paid your share (at least) of taxes. Those days are supposedly over. Officially, Korea has lifted at least some of its trade barriers. The government claims it no longer audits owners of Saabs and Mercedes. As of today, it's possible to find dealers selling Fords and Volkswagens, at least in Seoul. But they're still expensive and they're still trophies for the rich. And thanks to Korea's historical annoyance with Japan for their occupation, you'll almost never see a Honda, Toyota, or Nissan. When last I checked, Japanese vehicles were still officially banned, though not completely absent.
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