The popularity of South Korean cosmetics is
scaling new heights in North Korea, despite the state’s efforts to stamp out
the spread of popular culture seeping in from the capitalist South. Personal
tastes for cosmetics are also becoming more diversified, with many women
seeking out South Korean goods that come with added functionality, Daily NK has
learned.
“Even though the state is attempting to
restrict South Korean products, there’s growing interest among women about
cosmetics from the South,” a Daily NK source in Yangkang Province reported on May 22nd. “These days, cosmetics have become a daily necessity for women; many college
students even place their priority on what kind of cosmetics they use rather
than how good their grades are.”
She added, “Some women do not know brand names yet, so
they simply ask for South Korean cosmetics, but more women are seeking out
specific lines. “Brands such as Sulwhasoo, Laneige, and
Hera, which all come in from China, are reportedly the most popular options.
The warm weather brings with it an increased interest among women to put forth a more fashionable, attractive appearance, which the source explains as prompting the jump in cosmetics sales. “At the cosmetics stalls at the market, women are increasingly
seeking out goods from the South rather than (North Korean) brands like
Bomhyanggi (Scent of Spring) and Eunhasu (Milky Way).”
This is not, however, a sign of waning
crackdowns on South Korean products, but rather one of innovative tactics to
circumvent them. Vendors hawk cosmetics from below the border from their homes
or turn to trusted circles in order to evade surveillance and its
repercussions.
“Even though there are demands (by Kim Jong
Un) to improve the quality of domestic cosmetics, people claim it’s still
impossible for the North to catch up with the quality of South Korean goods,”
she pointed out, adding that desperate attempts by the state to extol state
goods as superior are “obvious even to kindergartners, who know it’s not
true–so why even attempt to preach the same point to college students?”
As word of mouth travels about the high quality of South Korean cosmetics, trends of the past slowly shift to incorporate females in their 40s to join the main demographic of 20-something women looking for beauty products, according to the source. “Anti-wrinkle” and “whitening components” were totally obscure concepts
to North Koreans in the past; now, however, people deliberately scan the
labels for these and other specific descriptions.
Still, these products are still
inaccessible for the much of the population, but a burgeoning middle-class indicates that these preferences and the capital to fulfill them continues to spread.
Among the female population residing in university dormitories, most have
parents who are Party cadres or other means of affluence and sway, meaning,
among other things, they themselves use South Korean cosmetics, imparting this
knowledge on their children who share it with trusted confidants.
Those who lack a direct provider know to go
to the market and ask, “Do you have anything else?” to express interest in
stock from the South, upon which he or she will be led to or informed of the secret stash maintained by vendors running black market operations.
