This is “NK Market Trends,” bringing you
weekly updates on the North Korean economy. This week we sat down with reporter
Kang Mi Jin to discuss the latest trends; but first, let’s take a look at how
the jangmadang [market] has been doing.
We’ll begin by providing a rundown on the price
of rice, the currency conversion rates, and the cost of other goods in North
Korean markets. The price of 1 kg of rice was 6,000 KPW in Pyongyang, 6,000 KPW
in Sinuiju, and 6,200 KPW in Hyesan. The USD was trading at 8,260 KPW in
Pyongyang, 8,200 KPW in Sinuiju, and 8,320 KPW in Hyesan. Moving along, the
cost of 1 kg of corn kernels was 2,300 KPW in Pyongyang, 2,250 KPW in
Sinuiju, and 2,300 KPW in Hyesan. One kg of pork was selling at 14,500 KPW in
Pyongyang and 15,000 KPW in both Sinuiju and Hyesan. Gasoline was trading at
10,000 KPW per kg in Pyongyang and Sinuiju and at 9,500 KPW per kg in Hyesan.
Finally, 1 kg of diesel fuel was selling at 5,900 KPW in Pyongyang, 6,000 KPW
in Sinuiju, and 6,200 KPW in Hyesan. This has been a rundown on North Korea’s
latest market prices.*
So, we’ve heard that blueberries are all
the rage right now in the Yanggang Province markets. Today, alongside reporter
Kang Mi Jin, we would like to hear more about North Korea’s popular fall treat.
Yes, even just hearing the word
“blueberries” makes me crave some. This is the usual time of year for blueberry
harvest in Yanggang Province, but I heard that last year some citizens who
wanted to make extra money harvested them before they were ripe. More so than
other berries, blueberries are best eaten when fully ripened. When eaten
prematurely, they taste very sour and slightly unpleasant and, therefore, don’t
sell very well.
Actually, I used to spend all day picking blueberries on the
mountainside this time of year, bouncing from place to place carrying berries I
had picked to the point where I would fall asleep from fatigue at the end of
the day. Other products in the market probably require a lot of effort to
actually sell, but because blueberries have to be of high quality to be sold at
an expensive price, you have to carefully pick them when they are perfectly
ripe. In fact, I bet there are some North Koreans out there right now listening
to this broadcast with a bowl of blueberries next to them.
The blueberry is actually designated as a
national monument in North Korea, but many think of it as a foreign exchange
product and that designation isn’t well preserved. The citizens of Yanggang
Province, where fruit is quite scarce, eat blueberries raw and also add sugar
to them, making it into a drink. Because both the taste and quality of
blueberries is better than that of grapes, they make a great base for wine.
Also, blueberries don’t store very long so making blueberry liquor and liqueur,
juice, and jam is also quite popular. Appearance-wise, North Korean blueberries
are similar looking to the those in South Korea. However, the variety in North
Korea has a smaller pit and sour flavor, whereas blueberries below the
border have a sweet taste.
Wow, North Korean blueberries sound quite
delicious! You mentioned earlier that this is the time of year for the
blueberry harvest. Would you mind explaining a bit more on the harvesting
process?
Yes, the blueberry harvest season usually
runs from August 20th through early September. Actually, It should be ending in
about five days. The businesses that harvest blueberries usually begin
operating on the 10th, and run for about two weeks. All citizens are mandated
to participate in the harvesting, although it overlaps with the grain (barley,
wheat) harvest season. As such I’ve heard phrase like “I’ll take all the limbs
I can get, even if they have to come from a cat” to describe the sharp
increase in work.
According to our sources quotas are
established for each citizen and, in the case of workers in the Women’s
Alliance, this year’s quota is 80 kg weekly. The rest of the work force is
required to collect a blistering 100 kg per week. It’s also said that merchants
seek out local blueberry collection sites to buy up the harvest before the workers
turn it in.
So, you are saying that citizens can earn
some money for themselves after turning in their harvest?
Yes, that is correct. After they turn in
the daily requirement of roughly 10 kg, some use the rest for personal gain,
such as selling to local merchants. Sources report that last year many citizens
were able to pick 20 kg of blueberries on a good day, but the harvest is not as
bountiful this year. As a result, lots of workers are recklessly picking
unripened berries.
There were plenty of citizens that earned up to 60 yuan per
kilogram last year, but this year, the price has dropped to 35 yuan and
collection quantities are less than expected. In order to salvage some benefit
from their effort, many end up seeking out the jangmadang [market] to sell
their blueberries, which then become a tasty seasonal snack for those that
can’t work in the fields.
I’ve heard that some are anticipating a
rise in the price of blueberries at the end of the season and are storing
excess harvest in their cellars. Actually, I remember doing that occasionally
myself. Everything is much cheaper when it’s in season, you know? That’s why
I’ve heard many people are choosing to sell later for even a slightly
higher price.
It seems to me that most citizens would
want to work harder during the compulsory mobilization period for the
harvest season to improve their domestic lives. They figure that since they’re
being forced to participate in the harvest, they might as well use it as an
opportunity to make a little extra on the side to help out at home. Also, while
the authorities are certainly the cause of most people’s grief, I can’t help
but wonder if being out in nature is helping to invigorate their spirits in
some way.
Yes, you’re absolutely right! Once the
blueberry harvest season hits, everyone must participate. They say that
people from Mudu Mountain Peak (Samjiyon County, Yanggang Province), Taehongdan
County, and Baegam County start to come out for the harvest even before the
berries are completely ripened, which can cause quite a commotion. I can’t help
but nod my head in understanding. According to our inside sources, people say
that “nature is the only thing you can trust,” and that “you can’t even trust
yourself because the North Korean authorities just completely influence your
ideas and the decisions through forced participation in useless work and
indoctrination.”
It’s because of this that people lament,
saying, “My mind is not my own, it belongs to the state. My body is not my own,
it too belongs to the state. My ears, my eyes, they also all belong to the
state. Nothing of mine is my own.” However, nature isn’t something that can be
taken away by the party. I wonder if this isn’t the principal behind the
saying, “The only thing you can trust is nature.” I think this saying
accurately describes how the North Korean people feel.
It looks like the blueberry harvest is an
organized effort. Could you please explain what the blueberries are used for?
Sure, North Korean authorities store the
berries harvested from various processing plants in Yanggang Province, namely
the plants in Hyesan, Deokrim, and Samjiyon. It’s at these plants that
the extract from the berries is used in the production of various beverages, which
are then exported to China to earn foreign currency.
Last year, authorities from Yanggang
Province reported that the earnings from the harvest were used in part as
investment towards the management of Hyesan City. But, after doing some
calculations of how much would be needed for the management of Hyesan, it
doesn’t add up. People criticize the authorities, asking where the leftover
funds went. Unlike South Korea, where government officials go to jail for
corruption, in North Korea it’s common practice among leadership to protect
each other. Have you heard what the people say about this?
No, what do they say?
They criticize the leadership’s outlandish
bribery, saying, “Party cadres take confidently, MPS (Ministry of
People’s Security) officers take carefully, and SSD (State Security Department)
agents take covertly. Similarly critical of the military, it’s said, “A platoon
leader takes a little, a company commander takes more, and a battalion
commander takes a lot.”
I would think that the people would be very
upset to hear that all their hard work earning foreign currency goes to corrupt
officials.
Yes, that’s right. During the harvest
season, daily individual quotas are 10 kg, which isn’t that much, but when you
look at the entirety of Yanggang Province, it actually amasses to quite a lot.
They also voice their complaints, saying, “They don’t know where the profit
from foreign currency earning is being spent.” I’ve thought about this myself.
Where is that money going?
The authorities give nothing back to the people, all
the while forcing them to earn foreign currency for the state. The people’s
curiosity has transformed into full-blown suspicion. There would be immediate
protests outside the Blue House if the South Korean government demanded a cut of
annual foreign currency earnings from its citizens. But in North Korea, the
people can’t say anything, even without compensation for any of the hard work they
are doing. It’s infuriating, unfair, and a true shame that North Koreans are
unable to let their voices be heard regarding this issue.
Could you please talk a little about the
going price of the blueberries at the jangmadang?
Of course. Currently, at the Hyesan farmers
market in Yanggang Province, the price for 1 kg of blueberries is 35 yuan (47,000
KPW), which could get you 8 kg of rice. Our inside source adds, “Last season,
the price went from about 17 yuan per kilogram to 60 yuan per kilogram in mid
September, when there were almost no berries left. We expect the price to rise
even higher than that by next week.”
There are many people that can make a
significant amount of extra cash from selling blueberries day-to-day. I
personally hope that they raise the price to around 100 yuan per kilogram.
Then, people could earn even just a little bit more money. To all the listeners
out there right now, don’t you think that’s a great idea? On that note, let’s
go ahead and end the broadcast here. The fall harvest is set to start within
the next couple of days, so take care out yourselves out there.
*This segment reflects conditions for the week of September 7-11.
