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 of
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 5,400 KPW in
Pyongyang, 5,300 KPW in Sinuiju, and 5,100 KPW in Hyesan. The USD was trading
at 8,600 KPW in Pyongyang, 8,900 KPW in Sinuiju, and 9,000 KPW in Hyesan.
Moving along, the cost of one kg of corn kernels was 2,000 KPW in Pyongyang,
1,900 KPW in Sinuiju, and 2,000 KPW in Hyesan. One kg of pork was selling at
14,000 KPW in Pyongyang and Hyesan, and 14,500 KPW in Sinuiju. Gasoline was
trading at 7,000 KPW per kg in Pyongyang and Sinuiju, and at 6,000 KPW per kg
in Hyesan. Finally, 1 kg of diesel fuel was selling at 4,500 KPW in Pyongyang,
4,000 KPW in Sinuiju, and 4,100 KPW in Hyesan. This has been a rundown of the
latest market prices in North Korea.
1. Thank you for the update on market trends.
Seeing as this is right about the time of year where kimjang (preparing kimchi
for the winter) is finishing up, I bet kimchi ingredients are selling out at
the market. Let’s hear more on the subject with reporter Kang Mi Jin.
Winter preparation is definitely in full
swing up North. People are getting ready for the annual kimjang season, which
is one of the most important times of the year. North Koreans call kimchi the
“sustenance for half a year” because they consider it such an absolute
necessity. You know about how much kimchi must be prepared to last half a year,
right?
I’ve heard that cabbage is flying off the
shelves at the market right to meet kimjang demands. At the Hyesan market, they
say that one can sell his entire supply in a single day. In the North, it’s not
uncommon for people to make kimchi with their colleagues during their lunch
hour. In the South, on the other hand, a lot of defectors don’t really see the
importance in kimjang as you can just buy kimchi at any local store. When I was
living in North Korea, I used to think making kimchi was an essential part of
life and I would stress out over it. But after defecting to the South, I have
adopted a much more carefree attitude.
Maybe that’s because cabbage is available
year-round in the South and you can make as much kimchi as you want. In the
North, if you miss the kimjang season, you might actually end up with none to
eat. All this kimchi talk is making me hungry. I used to love eating warm
potatoes and rice outside with the fresh kimchi I was preparing.
2. Now you’re making me hungry too! The price
of cabbage has likely gone up with the start of the kimjang season, but hearing
that it’s selling out in the markets makes me hope that people’s lives are
improving bit by bit. It’s not a precise statistic, but a three member South
Korean family usually needs more than 20 heads of cabbage for a single kimjang.
What’s it like in the North?
In my experience, our family of three
(husband, daughter, and I) needed about 350 kg of napa cabbage, 100 kg of
western cabbage, and 150 kg of radish to make around four full jars of kimchi.
I would also make small jars of preserved garlic, green onion, and cucumber. In
the South it’s pretty common to eat out at restaurants, but in the North, meals
are generally cooked and eaten at home 365 days a year. That’s why people think it’s a
big deal if you don’t prepare your kimchi thoroughly. In North Korea, there is
vegetable supply system in which the collective farms receive a distribution quota and the
harvested food is supplied to a predetermined local area.
Cabbage and radishes are distributed based
on the size of the family. Actually, if the vegetables are delivered
well-dressed, then the size of the supply ends up being quite a bit. But, most
of the time, the vegetables are weighed in the field as soon as they are
picked. The undressed vegetables end up including a lot of trapped moisture and
soil, which detract from the amount of actual food supplied. Thinking back on
it, 350 kg of napa cabbage, 100 kg of wester cabbage, and 150 kg of radish is
an incredible amount for a family of three. But for those that survive only off
kimchi, it’s not enough. Also, the amount I just mentioned really only applies
during a good harvest. I’ve heard that the majority of the time, 50 kg, or even
worse 30 kg of cabbage is the expected supply size.
3. Sure. While I was listening to you I was
actually just thinking to myself that’s a massive amount to make kimchi with
and was even a little skeptical if one could consume that much. But you’re
saying that’s only on the occasion of receiving a large supply from the state.
So, what if you only receive say, 50 kg or even just 30 kg of supplies? What do
you do with the leftover kimjang ingredients?
We have a expression we use for the that
actually. Do you want to know what it is?
Well now that you put it that way, I’ll
bite. What do they say?
Most people in the North know by now that
they have been being misled by the authorities with things like propaganda or
policies, and it’s because of this that the people really don’t trust what the
authorities say anymore. They say things like, “If you take good care of your
crops in the spring, you won’t have to worry and will be able to reap a big
harvest for kimjang in the fall” but people just turn a deaf ear. The
expression I was referring to is, “Only you can make a change.” It reflects the
attitude that one cannot rely on the state for help with provisions.
If you
want something, you have to get it yourself. To explain it a little better,
people don’t believe that they will get any food from the state, so when
there’s a shortage of vegetables, they either put in the effort to grow the
crops themselves or purchase them from the market. And it’s because of this
increased trend of purchasing kimjang ingredients at the market that they’re
selling like hotcakes currently. The kimjang season brings a smile to the face
of market customers and vendors alike.
As for myself, I primarily made my own
kimchi with cabbage that I grew in a small, private garden. If my husband was
able to bring home some higher quality cabbage, we would use that instead.
Likewise, if the cabbage we grew at home turned out to be better than what he
brought, we would use that of course. But, if it was a particularly bad
harvest, we would just use the cabbage for making soup or as feed for the
animals. And in the event that we had an especially good crop, we would take
the leftovers to the market to sell.
Actually, some portion of the leftovers are
sold at the market regardless of the size of the harvest because there are
always extra ingredients that you need. You can’t make kimchi with just cabbage
and radish, you know. You definitely need salt, salted fish, and meat and the
excess cabbage allows you to purchase them.
4. That’s right, you can’t make kimchi without
salt, garlic, and red pepper paste either. Those who live in farming villages
can grow kimjang ingredients on their personal farmland, but those in the city
are forced to purchase additional ingredients when the supply is short, right?
That’s correct. City dwellers end up buying
ingredients at the market since they are unable to grow them. And, as expected,
city market vendors are running around like crazy to meet the demand. According
to our source, there are even some vendors that will deliver the shipment to
your house. Farmers that live just outside major cities sell their vegetables
in the market in order to purchase daily commodities and those in the city buy
up the crops to make their kimchi. It’s a win-win situation.
I’m relieved to hear that, fortunately, the
cabbage harvest in Yanggang Province this season was plentiful and there will
be plenty go around for kimjang. Living up North is incredibly difficult, and
being able to make all the kimchi necessary to get through the winter is a huge
sigh of relief. I have precious memories of cracking open a jar and enjoying
some fresh kimchi and boiled Yanggang potatoes with my neighbors while we laugh
and chat away the chilly winter days together. I’m sure that one day we will
reunify and I will be able to share those kimchi and potatoes I’m so fond of.
5. I hope that day comes sooner rather than
later. I can taste those plump potatoes and crisp kimchi just thinking about
it. Now that we have discussed how farming households make their kimchi, would
you mind explaining how many of each kimjang ingredient the average three to
four-person city family purchases each season?
Well, for city folk, the money required to
buy the ingredients is just as important as the ingredients themself. A
four-member family requires around 250 kg of napa cabbage, 150 kg of radish,
100 kg of western cabbage, 2.5 kg of garlic, 2 kg of red pepper paste, and 15
kg of salt to make decent amount of kimchi. And, in order to get that distinct
kimchi taste, a bit of salted fish, such as anchovy or pollack, is also needed.
It definitely requires some effort to save up the money needed for the kimjang
season.
According to our source, the current price
of each ingredient in the Hyesan market is as follows: 2,000 KPW for 1 kg of
napa cabbage, 1,000 KPW for 1 kg of radish, 1,800 KPW for 1 kg of western
cabbage, and 8,000-10,000 KPW for 1 kg of garlic. And of course, you need red
pepper paste to spice it up. 1 kg of red pepper paste runs 28,000 KPW.
Optionally, 1 kg of pollack goes for about 11,000 KPW.
These are the most basic
ingredients required to make kimchi and the total price for a three to
four-person family’s worth is about 1,120,000 KPW. This doesn’t even include
the salted fish, which can only be purchased by families who are well-off.
Despite the price, I bet most families are thrilled to finish their kimjang and
not have to worry about winter provisions.
According to a source from Rason City, the
recent flood, which caused massive damage to the fall vegetable harvest, has
resulted in a tremendous spike in cabbage prices, causing fighting at the
marketplace over limited supplies. The source added that they recently moved
due to the flood and are worried sick about making it through the winter. I
sincerely hope that everything turns out okay.
As we wrap things up for today, I’d like to
wish all those people out there listening to our broadcast a safe and
successful finish to their winter preparations. Make sure to tune in next time
when we discuss winter market goods and winter life in North Korea.
