Private sellers in Hamhung, North Korea, are aggressively pushing pricey health supplements on local people in 2026. They claim the products come from North Korean-Chinese joint ventures and are normally made for export. The pitch has caught plenty of attention, but only wealthy donju can afford products costing over 400,000 North Korean won.
“Some individuals in Hamhung have recently started selling liver protectants and immune boosters,” a source in South Hamgyong province told Daily NK on Tuesday. The source said sellers describe the goods as products of North Korean-Chinese joint ventures sold mainly to foreign buyers. “They stress that not just anyone can get their hands on export products, and that really grabs people’s attention.”
Donju, roughly translated as “masters of money,” are entrepreneurs who grew rich through North Korea’s private markets. Joint ventures with Chinese partners were once a key channel for foreign investment in the country. However, UN Security Council Resolution 2375 banned new and existing joint ventures with North Korean entities in 2017.
One of the sellers’ flagship products is a liver supplement marketed under the name Kumin pills. Sellers claim the pills treat cirrhosis and protect the liver from damage when taken after drinking. That pitch makes the pills especially appealing to people who regularly enjoy alcohol, according to the source.
The pills also appear in a health app on North Korean smartphones, so many smartphone users already know the product. North Korean phones now carry several health apps, including a state-run service for ordering medicine with home delivery.
“The smartphone app says Kumin pills protect the liver by removing fat, viruses and toxic substances,” the source said. “It also claims the pills prevent and treat liver disease and have become popular in many countries.”
Sellers pair these health claims with a promise that the products cost less than they would at a pharmacy. They say personal connections let them obtain the goods cheaply, and some Hamhung locals are taking the bait.
Health supplements pitched with fertility claims and Pyongyang trends
Sellers are also actively promoting Selenseran, an injectable product they market as an immune booster. They claim it keeps people with weak immune systems from catching colds and helps prevent other illnesses.
Another top seller is a drug called Biogra, marketed as a treatment for sexual dysfunction in both men and women. To drive sales, sellers have even spread exaggerated stories by word of mouth about its supposed effects. In one such story, a couple who had struggled for years to have children conceived after taking the drug.
Sellers also cite foreign health habits and the latest consumer trends in Pyongyang to stir up curiosity among buyers. “Along with plausible explanations, they say people abroad have long taken these products even when they’re not sick,” the source said. “They also say Pyongyang is already following these foreign trends, and that draws people in.”
The aggressive sales push suggests that interest in health care and related products is growing among North Koreans. Daily NK has previously reported that dietary supplements have become a status symbol among officials and the wealthy elite. In South Pyongan province, some parents have spent small fortunes on supplements falsely sold as growth hormones for their children.
Kim Jong Un’s government continues to promote a nationwide drive to build modern regional hospitals. Despite the state’s claims of free health care, many North Koreans still turn to private markets for medicine. There, high prices often put basic drugs out of reach for ordinary families.
In Hamhung, the people actually buying these supplements remain limited to a handful of well-off donju. “These products usually cost more than 400,000 won a bottle,” the source said. “People who can’t afford enough rice at 30,000 to 40,000 won per kilogram can’t even dream of buying them.” Many of these families get by on porridge or rice mixed with cheaper grains instead.
“People who live hand to mouth see spending money on their health as a luxury in itself,” the source said. Some of them ask, “What’s the point of eating that stuff just to get healthy?” according to the source.
Others put it more bleakly, the source added: “We only keep living because we’re still breathing, and being alive is already painful enough. Why would we spend money on that stuff just to live longer?”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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October 29, 2026 at 07:45PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)