North
Korean traders staying in Dandong in Liaoning Province have orders from Kim
Jong Eun to procure specific skin and hair care products to send back to
Pyongyang.
A
source in China reported to the Daily NK on August 25th, “A few days ago
traders came from Pyongyang and were asking around about markets where they
could purchase high-quality personal grooming supplies. They’ve been looking in
Shenyang, Dandong, and Beijing and inquiring about the products and the quality
standards applied to them.”
Despite
a preference for superior quality European products, internationally imposed
sanctions on North Korea can in some cases prove arduous to circumvent, leaving
people to seek out products from China,
deemed inferior in quality but relatively easy to access.
In
addition to personal grooming kits and cosmetics, the traders have been
purchasing barber chairs, large mirrors, washbasins, and facial massagers. The
traders are under a great deal of pressure to purchase the right products,
“More than anything else the traders pay particular attention to the combs they
purchase,” he said. “They have been directed to find combs made from the finest
water buffalo bone and are good for the hair; it can be a bit of a struggle to
find the perfect match.”
30
barber stations and complementing grooming products are to be transported back
to the capital. The source went on to say that most of these materials will be
utilized at Changkwangwon in
Pyongyang. Established in 1980,
Changkwangwon is a spa and bathhouse that also offers massage and beauty
services among its many amenities, and is the largest facility of its kind in
North Korea.
“The
price for the barber shop station and cosmetics Kim Jong Eun requested for
his personal use comes to approximately $30,000 USD,” the source noted, adding that of this
amount, $10,000 USD worth of skincare products for the face are included. The
other, less expensive sets, cost roughly $1,500-2,000 USD, which “suggests a
high probability that the cosmetics and salon instruments will be enjoyed by
officials and Party cadres rather than by general residents at the
Changkwangwon.” While the facility is open to the general public, most could
not afford to pay such exorbitant prices for grooming.
A
senior defector confirmed that the barbershop frequented by Kim Jong Il,
located inside the Sinam Gymnasium near Changgwang Street in Pyongyang, is now
patronized by his son. The establishment is very exclusive, he noted, “Only the
most trusted of Kim Jong Il’s high-ranking officials could attend the salon in
his company. In many cases, one of them was sent as a test subject for perm
treatments to ascertain possible adverse side effects before the leader could
receive one himself.”
In
April 2014 Chosun Central TV broadcast footage featuring Choe Ryong Hae, at the
time the head of the Chosun People’s Army General Political Department, and
other high-ranking officials, receiving haircuts in the exclusive salon, a
scene that attracted a garnered a great deal of attention. Bestowing such
preferential treatments is seen as one of many ways the leader seeks to foster loyalty from Party members.
