South
Korean second-hand clothes, which disappeared from Pyongyang’s public markets
when the authorities launched their most recent intense crackdown, are once again on sale, a source from the city has informed Daily NK.
The source reported on June 30th,
“The crackdown on
products from South Korea that began in early May has abated. As long as the
volume of goods in question is not so large, the security services are
overlooking it once again.”
“You can readily see [South Korea clothing] being bought and
sold early in the
morning and around closing time,” the source went on. “It can’t have been easy
to crack down on it since second-hand South Korean clothes are so popular.”
According
to sources, South Korean clothing is currently selling for around 15,000 won per
item in markets in Pyongyang. The market price is normally around 7,000-8,000
won, approximately twice the price of a kilo of rice. It appears that scarcity
brought on by official attempts to control sales has driven prices up.
The North Korean
authorities, which used to overlook the smuggling and sale of South Korean
clothing as long as labels identifying places of origin were removed, classified them as
a controlled product and moved to halt distribution. This forced people to buy
and sell them directly from behind closed doors, not in public markets.
“Rodong Sinmun constantly criticizes the
South, while we seek out South Korean products. That’s probably why the state couldn’t
avoid doing something about it. However, people keep finding solutions,”
he said. “Plenty of people who have their own storage locations and distribute products in large quantities. All of this is why these crackdowns naturally
lose their energy.”
“When they crack down a bit, traders
don’t sell regulated products in official public markets, they move to the black market,” the source
continued, “At these times, ‘grasshopper traders’ and ones who go
door-to-door make plenty.”
These stories show that while the North Korean authorities retain the intent to control and restrain market activities and block the distribution of South
Korean products, the country’s market economy is at the center of a complex web of traders, residents, Party officials and others. The failure
of official efforts, though it may take some time, is inevitable.
This can be
seen clearly in another instance from 2013: The Kaeseong Industrial Complex was
shuttered a Fewer
South Korean Choco Pies arrived in
North Korean markets a Choco Pie prices rose a A Pyongyang food factory started
making a domestic version of the Choco Pie a The price of South Korean Choco
Pies fell a The
state sought to stop distribution of the South Korean version a Direct trade occurred to evade the
controls a The
snack started appearing in markets once again.
The source said, “The state is probably aware to some degree that focusing on cracking down despite the fact that it is
unable to take overall responsibility for the People’s Economy will absolutely
cause side effects. They know that if all they do is suppress people’s demands then it could lead to the
expression of discontent, so they overlook things.”
There are also vested interests to
consider. “There is no
sign that corruption is in decline. The security forces don’t get paid
properly, so they pursue bribes,” the source said. Moreover, “Party officials are
wanting to get hold of South Korean goods, and the people who tell them how to
do that are the security agents.”
