As the sun beats down on North Korea
this summer, more residents are taking to sunglasses not only to shield their
eyes from the glare but to flaunt their wealth and ability to keep up with fashion trends.
“There are many customers swarming the
stalls looking for sunglasses,” a source from North Pyongan Province told
Daily NK. This news was confirmed by an additional source in South Pyongan
Province, who often travels to other provinces for work and reported the same trends across the country.
In the past, those sporting sunglasses were
considered “improper” or of “questionable character,” but such prejudices have
slowly slipped away, replaced instead with perceptions that sunglasses are fashionable
and indicative of “overall sophistication.”
“A variety of sunglasses have emerged now; wealthy consumers buy transition lenses that adjust depending on brightness,
while those with less money purchase standard models,” she said. “Citizens see sunglasses as emblematic of
wealth and fashion. Some wear them just for casual outings but others wear them
all the time–be it at state-run enterprises or just out on the street.”
According to the source, there are dozens
of stalls specializing in sunglasses sales in general municipal and county markets across the county. Most items for sale are brought in from China
and depending on the quality price can vary greatly, but generally fall in the range of 10-15,000 KPW [1.23-1.85 USD].
“Some people, through personal connections
with traders or family abroad, get luxurious foreign sunglasses unavailable at
North Korean markets; these luxury brands are popular gifts to curry favor with
Party cadres,” the source asserted.
Aside from Party cadres, she added, those usually wearing these higher tier variations are the donjuLiterally "masters of money," donju refers to people who hav... More, North Korea’s
newly affluent middle-class, or “money masters.” For this growing contingent, even secondhand luxury flagship brands are preferable to run-of-the-mill options pouring in from China, according to the source.
Moreover, a trend previously confined
mostly to men continues to trickle over into the female population, rapidly gaining momentum to quickly narrow the once gaping disparity in proclivity to wear sunglasses between the sexes.
“Now you see now only donjuLiterally "masters of money," donju refers to people who hav... More
females with sunglasses but even female merchants wearing them as they do
business at the markets,” she concluded.
