This
is “NK Market Trends,” bringing you news about the North Korean economy every
week. This week we sat down with reporter Kang Mi Jin to discuss North Korea’s
market trends; but first, let’s take a look at how the market did this past
week.*
Every
week we bring you the current price of rice in North Korea as well as the
exchange rate and other items of interest. First, the price of rice. Rice is
selling for 5,560 KPW per kg in Pyongyang, 5,800 KPW per kg in Sinuiju, and
6,100 KPW per kg in Hyesan. Next, exchange rate is 8,250 KPW to the dollar in
Pyongyang, 8,200 KPW to the dollar in Sinuiju, and 8,360 KPW to the dollar in
Hyesan.
Next,
corn kernels are selling for 2,200 KPW per kg in Pyongyang, 2,250 per kg in
Sinuiju and 2,300 KPW per kg in Hyesan. Pork is selling for 15,000 KPW per kg
in Pyongyang, 15,000 KPW per kg in Sinuiju, and 15,500 KPW per kg in Hyesan.
Next is the price of gas. Gasoline is selling for 10,000 per kg in Pyongyang
and Sinuiju and for 9,500 KPW per kg in Hyesan while diesel is selling for
5,900 per kg in Pyongyang, 6,000 KPW per kg in Sinuiju, and 6,200 KPW in
Hyesan. That’s it for our weekly North Korea market update.
We
just heard about the market prices in North Korea but it’s been said that
recently, hanbok [Korean traditional attire] have been selling like hot cakes in the
marketplace. Today, we will talk to Reporter Kang Mi Jin about the current
situation of hanbok sales in the North Korea’s markets.
Talking
about hanbok naturally brings a smile to my face. In South Korea, men and women
can be seen wearing hanbok at weddings or for New Year’s, but in North Korea, hanbok are a common sight
in everyday life.
Seeing
how sources reported that hanbok are selling like hotcakes in the markets,
recently there must be more events that require them.
Yes,
this year will be the 70th anniversary of the Workers’ Party Foundation Day so
of course the people already foresee a large political celebration on October
10th. In general, North Koreans wear hanbok during major political events, so in these
situations, merchants seize the right moment to produce or sell beautiful
hanbok that might spark the interest of women.
Additionally,
it’s said that the women, who are forced to wear working clothes nearly every
day for participation in a variety of mobilization projects such as farming
mobilization, are able to relieve the stress of their weary life by wearing
beautiful, elegant hanbok. Of course, it’s annoying to be called to political events but
I guess the desire to dress up is the same for women anywhere. Women start getting
dolled up for these events several days in advance.
There
have been reports of recent increases in North Korean markets for the price of
items like rice. Greater economic difficulties are also evident but in even
such a situation, must women still buy hanbok in order to attend events?
That’s
not quite true. It is not absolutely necessary to buy a hanbok because skirts
can be worn instead. However, all North Korean women do say that hanbok fit women on the Korean Peninsula best. Most women say that they truly do look
prettiest when wearing a hanbok. Many women also try to buy hanbok because once
they buy a hanbok, it can be worn again and again in the upcoming years. I also
think that women are driven to buy hanbok by the thought that the celebration
for the 70th Anniversary of the Workers’ Party Foundation Day will be a large event.
Hanbok
in South Korea run around 200,000 KRW. There are some
hanbok that are more expensive but they are generally around that price. What
are the prices like for hanbok sold in North Korean markets?
Yes,
it’s been reported that there is a variety of prices for a single hanbok sold
in most North Korean markets based on the style or quality. Velvet hanbok made
of North Korean velvet starts at 250,000 KPW and hanbok of lesser quality are
around 120,000 KPW. University student style Korean traditional jackets can be
worn regularly by non-students so it’s said that there are a lot of buyers. The
hanbok sold at the highest price among North Korean women are hanbok made in
China. Can you guess how much they are?
I’m
not sure. Seeing how you suddenly asked, I’m guessing they must be incredibly
expensive.
Yes,
just like you predicted, the exact price is difficult to know but the price of
hanbok made in China has been reported
at around 1,500,000 KPW – enough to purchase around 10 regular velvet hanbok.
Despite the high price, hanbok made in China are the best selling style. I see
this phenomenon as a sharp jump in the level of culture or lifestyle of North
Korean women. Our sources have also noted that that the level of culture and
lifestyle of North Korean women has changed greatly since the past.
Please
provide a detailed explanation of the steps through which hanbok are sold in
the North Korean market.
Yes,
first, the wholesale location can differ depending on the style of the hanbok
but velvet hanbok are sold wholesale in Pyongsong market. The expensive velvet
hanbok sold in Pyongsong market are sold at 200,000 KPW and the cheap ones at
80,000 won. Our sources stated that as university student style Korean
traditional jackets [jeogori] are mostly made and sold regionally, there isn’t a huge difference
among prices. And the hanbok sold at the most expensive price – i.e., those made
in China – are cheaper in border regions but become more expensive the more
inland one goes. And at 650,000 KPW, the price for jeogori called the Mother
jeogori is higher than that of University Student style jeogori all throughout
North Korea.
What
is a Mother jeogori?
Ah,
let me explain. Worn by Kim Jong Suk, Kim Jong Il’s mother, the style is known
all throughout North Korea as Mother jeogori. The dark red top with a black
skirt was worn during her underground theater activity in the Sinpa region at the time of
the anti-Japanese movement. In North Korea, many of this jeogori were sold in
the early 2000s. some schools required all female teachers to wear this jeogori
style, sparking complaints from the teachers.
In fact, my friend was a teacher and she
liked bright colors so she wanted to wear a jeogori made in China. However, she
expressed disgruntlement that she had no choice but to buy and wear a Mother
jeogori due to the school party committee’s orders. When I lived in North Korea,
there were some women I knew who considered wearing a Mother jeogori as a sign
of extreme loyalty. The people say that it is actually
very common to see women wearing the jeogori style of Kim Jong Sook, Kim Jong
Un’s grandmother, in North Korean media. That’s how much North Korea emphasizes
unconditional loyalty to the Kim family.
I
think Ri Sol Ju also wore that style of hanbok to an event. Must North Korean
women always wear hanbok to events?
Yes,
that’s correct. In 2012, around right after Ri Sol Ju gave birth, there was an
instance when she wore the Mother jeogori. Defectors say that there is a high
possibility that women enjoy wearing the Mother jeogori because the wife of
North Korea’s most powerful leader, Kim Jong Un, wore the Kim Jong Suk
jeogori, the so-called the Mother jeogori. North Korean women wear hanbok for
regular or national events and it is not absolutely necessary but there is an
emphasis on wearing a hanbok if at all possible. Many women used to wear skirts
rather than hanbok but now it’s been reported that even in the countryside,
there are many women who wear hanbok.
I
heard there is some interesting talk among the North Korean people regarding
how much the fashion culture of North Korean women has changed. I’m curious
about what kind of talk there might be.
Yes,
I could also relate with the stories shared by our sources. Sources reported
that the entirety of fashion culture in North Korea has changed dramatically
ever since the appearance of Ri Sol Ju. Women who were completely indifferent
to silhouettes now desire an emphasis of the silhouette. Most hanbok were
simple or lacked any designs or grand style but after the Marshal’s wife began
enjoying wearing items like clothes with a broach or started appearing wearing
skirts, the dress of women changed entirely. Women’s comments that comrade Ri
Sol Ju fancy style of dress means that the fancy dress of the people is not
subject to regulation is common talk throughout the town. The people are also
saying that thanks to comrade Ri Sol Ju, women are able to look beautiful and
if women were to be regulated for dressing in the fashion of the Marshal’s
wife, it would mean that the Marshal’s wife was being regulated so the North
Korean censor department is unable to do anything.
I
heard that of the popular hanbok, there are some people who enjoy wearing
hanbok made in South Korea. Can you tell us about the distribution of hanbok made in South Korea.
Yes,
it’s said that there are people who openly wear hanbok made in South Korea not
just in the border regions but also in the capital of Pyongyang. Some women who
have visited China on personal travel sometimes become so enraptured by South
Korean-made hanbok in China that they purchase them deliberately. It’s said
that for hanbok made in South Korea, prices can reach 3,000 USD. It’s a price
that’s unimaginable to an average person.
I
once heard from a Korean-Chinese woman I knew when I lived briefly in Changchun
about a teacher who was on a personal trip from Pyongyang who said that he
would buy a hanbok made in South Korea for his wife. Despite the fact that at
the time, all South Korean products was being smuggled in without any tags, the
teacher asked his relative to buy him a hanbok. The teacher said that most of
the wealthy class in Pyongyang used South Korean products and that it was
commonly stated that a home without a single South Korean product could not be considered
a part of the wealthy class.
I
heard smuggling operations were jammed up after the installation of
barbed-wire fences along the border. Have the fences not hindered the influx of
items into North Korea like hanbok made in China?
It seems that way. I can’t say that the fences haven’t hindered the flow at all because quite a large amount
of food, grains, and fruit and even industrial products are smuggled in by the
border regions, so it stands to reason that the distribution of hanbok would also be affected. Now
it seems that Kim Jong Un method of ruling is also having a negative effect on
the lifestyle and culture of the people. I think even now, numerous women are
living their lives while enduring such inconveniences. In the case that
smuggling through border regions becomes impossible or cut off, some items can
enter through customs, but such a small quantity would increase the demand for the
specific product and then jack up the price. Ultimately, this would only result in more suffering for the people.
*This segment reflects conditions for the week of August 24-28.
