This is “NK Market Trends,” bringing you
news about the North Korean economy every week, and today, we are accompanied
by reporter Kang Mi Jin. But first, let’s take a look at the market’s
performance over the past week.*
The price of rice has arisen over the last
week. A kg of rice cost 5400 KPW in Pyongyang and Sinuiju, and 5500 KPW in Hyesan. A kg of corn kernels cost 2050 KPW in Pyongyang, 2100 KPW in Sinuiju, and 2200
KPW in Hyesan. The exchange rate for one dollar was 8640 KPW in Pyongyang, 8760
KPW in Sinuiju, and 8800 KPW in Hyesan. The exchange rate for one yuan was 1320
KPW in Pyongyang, 1340 KPW in Sinuiju, and 1350 KPW in Hyesan. A kg of pork
cost 12000 KPW in Pyongyang, 12500 KPW in Sinuiju, and 12500 KPW in Hyesan. A
kg of gasoline cost 7500 KPW in Pyongyang, Sinuiju, and Hyesan. A kg of diesel
cost 5550 KPW in Pyongyang, 5450 KPW in Sinuiju, and 5350 KPW in Hyesan. This
has been Weekly Marketplace Prices.
1. Around New Year’s and other holidays parents typically buy candy for their children
as gifts. Did you hear much about that this year up in North Korea?
As we reported last time, North Koreans like
to eat dumplings and songpyeon (half-moon shaped rice cake) during the New Year’s and other holidays. Parents also buy candy and
other snacks for their children to be given during this time as they do with
other holidays. This year was no exception, according to Daily NK’s inside sources.
When mothers are busy preparing food for the holidays it’s hard to play with kids at the same time.
Little gifts and treats keep them busy and give mothers a bit of freedom to
take care of things. Also, the bitterly cold winter months in North Korea mean that children can’t really play outside, so snacks keep them occupied while
they’re inside.
Candy wrapped in crimson packaging is a particularly
popular gift around for children by parents of well-to-do households; other
parents will buy just the candy and wrap it themselves. Stick candy is a
popular treat for parents to treat their children’s friends. I also used to
make snacks for my daughter when I lived in North Korea. Sometimes I would make taffy for her, but she particularly liked hard
candy.
2. It definitely goes without saying that most
children like candy. What’s the price like?
The price of sugar determines the price of
candy. Currently, a kg of sugar in the Pyongyang market costs 5900 KPW while a
kg of candy costs 6400 KPW. The price of a kg of flour, which is the base of
all the baked sweets, is 5280 KPW; these little cookies usually go for about 6000 KPW per kilogram.
The price of flour rose by 200 KPW around New Year’s this year due to the greater demand for sweets and other foods
during the holiday season. Shape and design also factor into the price of baked
goods. Families with connections to traders or friends who have gone to China
on special visas also bring in sweets from outside China–funny thing is a lot
of time those snacks end up being South Korean brands.
A source also told me of an incident involving one of her friends in Yanggang Province; this friend received a
type of South Korean candy made with nurungji (scorched rice). She asked why
would South Koreans who have so much would eat nurungji. But then, after
tasting how delicious it was, she said that’s the only candy she ever wanted to
eat after that! I guess Hallyu’s influence has even trickled down to candy now!
3. You also mentioned shoes. Were shoes a
popular gift during the holidays this year?
Yes. Parents who want to buy their children
cotton shoes or boots bought them earlier on in the winter and then gifted them
on or around the New Year’s holiday. A wide range of quality of shoes is now available at the
markets, a fact that is directly reflected in the price: a cheap pair of shoes costs 15,000 KPW, while a
more expensive pair can cost up to 40,000 KPW.
4. Do those who live in the country make
the snacks themselves?
Yes. Our sources say that those who live in
the countryside make cookies themselves by purchasing flour or with other
grains. As I was listening to the source, I was reminded of the times that I
made it myself at home. Although the quality of homemade confectioneries can’t
compare to those sold in the marketplace, the need and desire to be frugal means
that people out in the countryside don’t really have the same luxury as those
in cities.
5. . How did you make sweets at home?
South Koreans don’t make sweet snacks at
home because there is a wide range of them readily available for purchase. Also,
when I lived in the city in North Korea, I used to buy confectioneries from the
marketplace, but when I lived in the
countryside, I would make them myself
and even take purchase orders for them
as well. To make cookies, one of the most
popular items, both for eating and ordering, the first step is to make stencils. This is done by cutting up an
aluminum container into various shapes like birds, peaches, flowers, and stars.
You know. when I first came to South Korea and saw a heart shape, I thought
that it was a depiction of a peach. I wondered why South Koreans liked peaches
so much, but later learned that what was depicted was a heart.
So there are two types of cookies generally.
The first kind involves a batter consisting of a kg of flour, 350 grams of sugar,
and 3 eggs. You lightly fold the ingredients together with your hands, cut the
desired shapes from the batter, and then place them in a steamer pot. Since there are no electric or gas ovens in
North Korea, this cooking is done over a charcoal fire.
The other cookie variant involves
aggressively kneading the dough, cutting out shapes, putting them in a strainer
and then lightly baking them over the charcoal fire. As soon as they get that
nice golden brown color you take them off the heat. This method creates a
softer cookie that’s more pleasant to eat.
I should also mention that saccharine, not sugar, is used as the
sweetener in this second case. Households that have a hard time getting by
will often buy the confectioneries that have not been baked over the charcoal
fire, while those better off will buy the ones that have been baked.
That’s all for me this time. We want to thank all our listeners and hope
that your 2016 is off to a happy and prosperous start.
*This segment reflects market conditions for the week of January 4-8.
