Calendars are reportedly an indicator of
the economic status of households more recently in North Korea, and available in a wide array of options, each type is relative to how rich or poor the family is, Daily NK has
learned.
“With the New Year coming around, there are
a lot of calendars on sale at the marketplace,” a
source based in South Pyongan Province told the Daily NK on Tuesday. “Depending on the type, the price can range anywhere between one to
70 USD, and a lot of people are too poor to even afford one.” Indeed, the current exchange rate in South Pyongan Province stands
at 8,300 KPW to one USD, making the most expensive options prohibitive, especially for an item that serves the same function regardless of aesthetics.
“The ones most commonly sold are the paper
calendars with pictures and photographs or single-page varieties with the
entire year marked on them,” she explained. “Paper calendars are produced by individuals who collaborate with
state-run printers, and sell for nearly twice the cost of production in the
markets.”
She went on to explain that digital,
wooden, paper, and single-page calendars are available across North Korea’s markets. A digital calendar costs roughly 70 USD, while wooden ones fetch about 8 USD; less expensive varieties like the full
paper calendar option range anywhere from 1.5 to 3 USD; the traditional state- manufactured single-page format calendars are available for 80 KPW, making them the most economical–yet least favored–variety among residents.
According to the source, until the late 1990s, calendars were
considered a “power symbol,”
provided only to Party cadres. However, from the early 2000s,
demand has been increasing for different types of calendars, prompting mass production by printers
in Pyongyang in collaboration with individual investors.
Normally, the design and printing is done
by state-run printers, while individual investors supply the necessary
photographs, pictures, and raw materials.
“Party cadres and the donjuLiterally "masters of money," donju refers to people who hav... More [the new
affluent middle class] prefer digital calendars and those made with wood
imported from China,” she said. “Average residents, on the other hand, buy paper calendars; those
who can’t afford those buy the regular single-page ones,” explaining how household calendar’s have become a barometer of each family’s financial status.
Digital calendars run on batteries, so after purchasing, there is no need for annual updates. Wooden calendars
are carefully handcrafted with decorative planks of wood inscribed with numbers that
can be shifted around depending on the month. People prefer them not only for
their antique appeal, but their durability, which is why they are often sold as
part of home decor, readily available for people to show off when company comes
over.
The more widely sold paper calendars fall
under two main categories: “actor calendars,” which as the name suggests feature the nation’s most popular film stars, and “children
calendars,” displaying exuberant youths against various scenic backdrops. The former sells for approximately 2 USD and the latter fetches
approximately 3 USD.
Calendars with beautiful women donning
hanbok [traditional Korean garment] , spreads of traditional cuisine, and
others featuring picturesque nature scenes and historic sites from around North
Korea, are also available for purchase, each selling for around 1.5 USD.
She added that some affluent families bribe
individual investors–sometimes as much as 200 USD– to ensure that photographs
of their own children make their way into the featured photos.
“Last year, actor calendars were popular,
but this year, the one with children is selling better,” the source elaborated, going on to surmise
that “it could be because people want to look at
children who give them hope instead of some famous actors.”
