SEOUL, South Korea — It is no secret that North Korea suffers chronic shortages of fuel, to the point that nighttime satellite photographs of the Korean Peninsula show a glittering south and a darkened north, beginning exactly at the 38th parallel that divides them. Now the scarcity, apparently made even worse by a drop in oil imports from China, has claimed a new class of victims: motorbike riders.

Over the last week, two websites in Seoul that carry reports from sources in North Korea said the authorities there had cracked down on private motorbike use in order to conserve fuel for military and government officials.

The new restrictions come just as motorbikes have been emerging as the next stage in the evolution of vehicular transport in North Korea, much as they had in other parts of Asia decades ago — another reflection of North Korea’s stunted economy. Motorbike ownership is widely considered a status symbol in North Korea, where most people still travel on foot. Many motorbike owners supplement their income by using them as taxis.