South Korean cosmetics are being secretly distributed in North Pyongan Province in the border area with North Korea, Daily NK has learned. But some of the products in circulation are counterfeits that can cause unpleasant side effects.
“South Korean cosmetics have recently been distributed by businesspeople specializing in high-end cosmetics in Sinuiju. During the two or three years when the border was closed because of the pandemic, South Korean cosmetics weren’t available at any price. But now they can be bought if you have the money,” a source in North Pyongan Province told Daily NK on Friday on condition of anonymity.
According to the source, Sinuiju businesspeople who specialize in high-end cosmetics are currently secretly distributing and selling foreign-made cosmetics from countries such as South Korea and China. Since the import, distribution, and sale of South Korean products is illegal in North Korea, these deals must be done in secret, as in the past, the source said.
South Korean cosmetics are brought into North Korea under the guise of products from Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia. The businessmen remove the labels to avoid detection by the authorities during the sales process. But North Koreans are aware of the practice, and almost all of the products sold are unlabeled, the source said.
Because South Korean cosmetics are known for their quality, they have long been popular with North Koreans. But they sell for a pretty penny, so their main customer base was – and still is – entrepreneurs and high-ranking officials.
Many of the products being distributed and sold in the border region as South Korean cosmetics are actually counterfeit, the source said, adding that some of the North Koreans who have used the fakes have suffered side effects such as itching and swelling.
“Since everyone knows that the crackdown on South Korean products has gotten even worse since the pandemic, people trust vendors who tell them that products are South Korean even without a label. But someone has taken advantage of this fact by producing and selling fake South Korean cosmetics. Some people have suffered side effects, which is making many realize that they shouldn’t just buy anything that vendors say is from the South,” the source said.
One woman suffers side effects after using facial treatment
A thirty-something Sinuiju resident surnamed Kim (an alias) bought a product that the seller claimed was a new release from South Korea. “This will make your face so beautiful after just three days of use that you won’t need to wear makeup anymore,” the salesman claimed.
After a few days of use, the woman’s skin cleared up and seemed to become more beautiful, until her face suddenly began to itch and swell, Kim recalled.
“When I called the salesman who sold me the cosmetics to complain, he lost his cool and insisted that everyone else who had bought it was fine. So I tracked down everyone who might have bought the cosmetics from the vendor and found that three out of five people who bought the new cosmetics from South Korea had symptoms similar to mine,” Kim said.
But Kim was reportedly unable to pressure the seller any harder or report the fact that he had sold products under false pretenses to the authorities.
“The reason Kim couldn’t report the seller for fraud, even after suffering side effects, is because she bought what she thought was a South Korean cosmetic product. Buying what you think is a South Korean product, whether it’s real or not, is itself grounds for prosecution, so Kim can’t make a bigger deal out of it,” the source explained.
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May 29, 2024 at 08:00AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)