North Korean marketplaces are experiencing a significant decline in activity. Sources indicate both customer traffic and merchant presence have notably decreased.
Recent photos obtained by Daily NK from a marketplace in Sinuiju, North Pyongan province, reveal scattered merchants displaying food and industrial goods amid numerous empty stalls.
“These photos were taken around 3 p.m., shortly before the market’s opening time,” said a local source. “Usually, merchants would be jostling to enter with their goods. It’s unusual to see so few vendors.”
The source explained that declining foot traffic stems from a combination of factors: “People lack money, and with street vendors setting up outside as evening approaches, the marketplace remains quiet. Once darkness falls, vendors line the roads and alleyways outside, so nobody bothers entering the market even though it’s open until 8 p.m.”
Some merchants are abandoning their stalls, seeing little reason to pay market taxes when sales are so low.
Even vendors selling popular items are struggling. “Soybean-based ‘artificial meat’ is a beloved side dish, but when even these vendors can’t make sales, imagine how other merchants are faring,” the source noted. “With business this poor, some are leaving to avoid paying market taxes.”
Another source from the province pointed to state construction projects as an additional deterrent: “The government is pushing construction work everywhere. If you’re caught walking around, you risk being drafted into construction sites – that’s another reason people avoid the marketplace.”
These factors have transformed these once-bustling centers of North Korean economic activity into eerily quiet spaces.
The marketplace photos reveal a predominance of Chinese-made goods. Among them are “84” branded laundry soap, scrubbing pads, and various cosmetics and sundries – likely all Chinese imports rather than domestic products.
In one photo, a merchant wears a hat bearing the South Korean “FILA” logo, presumably unaware of its origin. The hat was likely either imported from China or locally produced without knowledge of the brand’s nationality.
This reality stands in stark contrast to Kim Jong Un’s “20×10 regional development policy,” now in its second year. While state media regularly showcases new provincial factories and satisfied citizens examining locally made products, the abundance of Chinese goods in marketplaces undermines the government’s promises to strengthen the domestic economy through high-quality local manufacturing.
February 24, 2025 at 02:28PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)