North Korea distributed cooking oil ration vouchers to mark the April 15 birthday of founder Kim Il Sung in 2026, but the state-set price proved too high for many low-income North Korean people to afford.
A source in Kanggye, Jagang province, told Daily NK on Wednesday that one kilogram of cooking oil was made available per household at state-run food stores through ration vouchers distributed via neighborhood watch units, the grassroots surveillance and administrative cells that manage daily life at the street level across North Korea. The state-set price was approximately 30,000 North Korean won per kilogram, roughly half the going market rate of over 80,000 North Korean won, yet many households still declined to buy.
“The price of 30,000 won is about the same as rice,” the source said. “Most people said they would rather buy rice than cooking oil.”
North Korea’s holiday distribution system under strain
The North Korean government has long distributed food and goods to mark major political anniversaries, including the birthdays of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. In past years, these distributions sometimes included a bottle of liquor, 10 eggs, or a bottle of cooking oil at little or no cost to recipients. This year, advance word that cooking oil would be distributed generated considerable anticipation among North Korean people. The reality, however, fell short.
Beyond the pricing problem, the source said that cooking oil has increasingly become a luxury item for lower-income households amid the country’s prolonged economic hardships. Many families use cooking oil only on special occasions such as holidays or birthdays, forgoing it entirely in day-to-day cooking.
“In the past, when cooking oil or candy came out for a holiday, people were happy because it felt like a real holiday,” the source said. “Now, even when receiving holiday distributions, people can’t be straightforwardly happy. Many say, ‘So even the things the state gives us have become this expensive.’”
Those living hand to mouth found the 30,000-won price simply out of reach, the source said.
Some North Korean people who received vouchers sold them on to others rather than using them to buy oil. Wealthier individuals purchased discarded vouchers, bought the oil at the state price, and resold it in jangmadang markets, the informal markets that have become the primary distribution channel for consumer goods in North Korea, at a markup.
“In the end, people with money used this holiday distribution as an opportunity to earn even more, while those without money couldn’t even think about buying the oil,” the source said.
Reporting from inside North Korea
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April 15, 2026 at 06:59PM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)