In the last stretch of 2016 market prices remain overall stable across North Korea, with winter outdoor apparel topping the list of most sought-after items at the jangmadang currently. The year-on-year prices of these items show no fluctuation.
Large, high-quality scarves, for example, are currently selling for about 15,000-130,000 KPW–the same price point Daily NK’s sources reported for the same period in 2015. The same applies to insulated jackets of lower quality, typically filled with cotton wool, which fetch approximately 35,000 KPW currently, and to higher-quality variants, namely those stuffed with goose down, selling for roughly 400,000 KPW at present.
Below are the jangmadang prices for general staples as of December 22.
The price of 1 kg of rice was 5,400 KPW in Pyongyang, 5,180 KPW in Sinuiju and 5,520 KPW in Hyesan. The cost of 1 kg of corn kernels was 1,080 KPW in Pyongyang, 1,070 KPW in Sinuiju, and 1,110 KPW in Hyesan.
The USD was trading at 8,060 KPW in Pyongyang, 8,010 KPW in Sinuiju, and 8,230 KPW in Hyesan. The Yuan was trading at 1,200 KPW in Pyongyang, 1,180 KPW in Sinuiju and 1,200 KPW in Hyesan. One kg of pork was selling at 12,700 KPW in Pyongyang, 12,000 KPW in Sinuiju, and 13,000 KPW in Hyesan. Gasoline was trading at 8,000 KPW per kg in Pyongyang, 8,000 KPW in Sinuiju, and 8,150 KPW per kg in Hyesan. Finally, 1 kg of diesel fuel was selling at 5,500 KPW in Pyongyang, 5,700 KPW in Sinuiju, and 5,500 KPW in Hyesan.
The following are the prices of the same items as of December 15.
