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N. Korean street vendors free from crackdowns but trapped by economics

North Korea has recently eased restrictions on street vendors, but they continue to face hardships. The latest challenge stems from rising currency exchange rates, which have driven up prices while drastically reducing North Koreans’ purchasing power.

A source in North Hamgyong province told Daily NK on Tuesday, “The crackdown on people selling goods in side streets and near official marketplaces in Chongjin has eased lately. Vendors don’t have to worry about being apprehended while selling their wares, but they’re still struggling because sales are lower than usual.”

North Koreans who can’t afford to reserve a stand at a marketplace make a living by selling wares on side streets. The authorities have long policed this practice, viewing it as “anti-socialist” behavior that disrupts social order.

For many women supporting their families, becoming a street vendor is often the only way to keep their families fed. They endure a grueling routine of moving from spot to spot, trying to evade policemen and patrolmen enforcing various social rules.

The exchange rate dilemma

Since mid-September, policing of street vendors in Chongjin has noticeably decreased, easing vendors’ fears of being caught. As a result, rows of vendors now sell vegetables, fruit, and food on streets near marketplaces in Chongjin, including Sunam Market and Pohang Market.

However, these street vendors still struggle to make a living due to poor sales. The overall price of goods has risen because of higher exchange rates, depressing people’s purchasing power.

The current exchange rate of the North Korean won to the Chinese yuan at marketplaces exceeds 2,000 won, while one U.S. dollar trades for around 15,000 won.

“The won-to-dollar and won-to-yuan exchange rates are skyrocketing, and prices are rising accordingly. In fall, people can get by with grain and crops from the fields, so they’re buying much less from vendors. Even those who shop only buy small quantities, limiting vendors’ earnings,” the source explained.

A discouraged woman in her 50s who sells cooking oil on the street in Chongjin remarked, “Prices of almost everything have been inflated by the rising exchange rates, and basically nobody is shopping. Vendors have to sell something to make a living, but right now everyone is hustling just to sell 100 grams of cooking oil. When it’s a struggle to earn 1,000 won a day, you start wondering where the next meal will come from, and how you’re supposed to support yourself.”

A woman in her 40s selling soybean sprouts shared similar sentiments: “We’ve never made good money, but prices have soared after the exchange rates began rising a few months ago. People aren’t buying soybean sprouts or other side dishes, and business is even worse than during the pandemic.”

Street vendors agree that when the crackdown was severe, they could still dodge the law and sell enough to afford some porridge in the evening. The authorities’ leniency now doesn’t compensate for the slack in business.

“Life keeps getting tougher for these people, and many despair of making ends meet. Some even say that if they could just eat their fill for one day, they could die happy,” the source concluded.

The Daily NK works with a network of sources in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. For security reasons, their identities remain anonymous.

Please send any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.

Read in Korean

October 11, 2024 at 11:30AM

by DailyNK(North Korean Media)

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