In the wake of stringent crackdowns on South Korean goods by the North Korean authorities, circulation of the products in North Korea¡¯s markets has seen a marked decrease recently, the Daily NK has learned.

¡°Due to the recent regulation on South Korean goods, State Security Department [SSD] agents have been walking around the marketplace with ¡®daggers in their eyes¡¯ [watching keenly], making the atmosphere of the market places cold,¡± a source in Yangkang Province told Daily NK on January 2nd.  

According to the source, three months prior to the regulation, South Korean shampoos, Choco Pies, and other goods were sold by vendors adroitly evading surveillance; however, more recently, it has been harder to find South Korean goods anywhere, implying that merchants are taking extra care due to the tightened controls.

Most vendors likely became hypervigilant after some merchants were apprehended by the SSD, word of which spread quickly around those involved in selling at the markets. "The SSD has created a situation in which merchants  keep an eye on one another,¡± the source noted of the present circumstances. ¡°The market management offices are using related officials to keep an eye on the market places to find out if any merchants are selling South Korean goods.¡±  

She went on to assert that the increased inspection has made it even harder for vendors to ¡°secretly sell [South Korean] shampoos or Choco Pies--let alone hide CDs [filled with popular South Korean programs] under the shelves."

In addition to the disappearance of South Korean home appliances, cosmetics, shampoo, Choco Pies, and other popular products from North Korea's markets, used clothes originating from the South have also largely receded from sight. 

Of particular disappointment from parents and children is the lack of availability of Choco Pies, so beloved they are considered a special treat for children on their birthdays, akin to elaborate cake in other nations, according to the source.

Increased regulation at the market is not the only measure rendering these items difficult to come across--passing goods through the customs office has been an increasingly arduous task lately. Removing the tags revealing the clothes' origin and sandwiching them in between Chinese clothing can help slip some items through, but is not a tenable solution for bringing in the necessary quantities to meet demand.

Predictably, residents dependent on steady streams of these products coming in to earn a living are stressed. ¡°Due to the stronger control on South Korean goods, travelers as well as market merchants are worrying about how they're going to earn money if the regulation continues long term," she said. 

She added, ¡°The officials are currently scrutinizing every good that travelers coming back from China on special permits and merchants are bringing in, and anything with is immediately confiscated.¡± The source also noted that previously tried-and-true methods--namely bribes to customs officials-- have been largely ineffective attempts to obtain the sought- after goods as of late.

With merchants on constant alert to deter apprehension, the source noted a pronounced mood shift to be palpable at the markets these days. ¡°Arrests of those making illegal phone calls outside of the country and regulations on South Korean goods have darkened the atmosphere in the marketplaces all across the country at the beginning of the new year, ¡± she concluded.