Unification Media Group (UMG): It’s time for another weekly update and we are speaking with Daily NK reporter Kang Mi Jin to learn about new social and economic trends in North Korea. Reporter Kang, can you tell us the latest?
Kang Mi Jin (Kang): Yes – over the past year, although we have seen the introduction of more and more North Korean-made products in the markets, we have also seen a rise in products imported from Southeast Asia. These products are earning the appreciation of North Korean residents in diverse locations including South Pyongan Province’s Pyongsong City, North Hamgyong’s Sariwon City and Chongjin City, and South Hamgyong’s Hungnam City and Wonsan City.
Residents have not had much of an opportunity to use wet wipes in the past. Now, wet wipes have become popular among residents, many of whom regularly eat their lunches outdoors. Another product from Southeast Asia that is popular among the residents is toilet paper, which is said to be of better quality than the North Korean-made alternatives. There are rumors that the products, which have trademark tags that indicate production in Southeast Asia, are actually made in South Korea.
UMG: What is the evidence for this claim?
It’s a complicated situation because the North Korean regime is making stronger moves to crack down on the sale and distribution of South Korean products, but at the same time, residents are growing more and more fond of South Korean goods, known for their high quality and superior designs. In response to this demand, suppliers have been moving to accommodate these tastes.
Because South Korean manufacturers have a lot of factories in Southeast Asia, North Koreans are concluding that the goods that come from there are in fact South Korean. This gives us a strong indication of just how strong people’s affection for hallyu (Korean wave) products is in North Korea.
UMG: Is there any other news to report?
Kang: Kim Il Sung’s birthday was on April 15, and the event entails a continuation of the Kim family propaganda drive that has been actively pushed by the regime for decades. There was some positive news this year, however. As usual, the residents have convened to undertake compulsory preparations for the national holiday. But this year, for the first time, they have taken group orders for food from the marketplace to feed the residents.
UMG: Can you elaborate on that?
Kang: North Korean residents participate in organizational life from the time they are in preschool. For Kim Il Sung’s birthday, each and every group convenes to perform activities like, “Gathering to Sing Loyalty Songs,” “Engaging in Dialectical Lectures,” and “Meeting to Present Memoirs.” Residents who represent the units to give lectures and presentations receive some monetary support. In the case of the Women’s Socialist Union, they receive a lunch fee and a lunch provision.
In the past, they were provided with very little, and each woman would donate a few ingredients to make something. But now they are ordering food from the markets. In Ryanggang Province, popular orders include hot noodle soup, noodles with black bean sauce (called jajangmyeon), and tofu rice. Each region has their own specialty. Lately, North Korean-made instant foods have started to appear in the markets.
UMG: Can you tell us more about these new instant foods?
Instant foods – like those one can find in South Korea or other industrialized parts of the world – have recently arrived on the scene in North Korea. The North Korean source who relayed this information said, “Our economy has risen and our sanitary conditions are starting to reach international standards. With international certifications being received, North Korean firms have also started exporting.”
Looking at a photograph of North Korean-made ramyeon instant noodles, one would be hard pressed to find major differences to the South Korean versions. Although I haven’t been able to taste them for myself, I do know that the convenience of being able to cook noodles and eat them within five minutes is a big plus for North Koreans.
UMG: Have any other instant foods come onto the scene?
In the course of my fact-finding, I learned about instant noodles, canned rice, and pig’s feet. There are also a lot of panchan (traditional Korean side dishes) that one can eat as soon as the seal is opened. Just three years ago, it was not possible to see such instant foods widely available in the markets. Now instant foods are being produced for the domestic market, as well as for export.
As in other places, the North Korean-style instant noodles come in many varieties. There are beef and mushroom-flavored varieties, which our sources tell us contain natural ingredients rather than artificial substitutes.
North Korea has also introduced an instant rice product. Unlike South Korea, however, this instant rice is sold in cans. The prices of the noodles and rice vary, but in general, the rice is more expensive. Depending on the amount and quality, instant noodles sell for 6,000-12,000 KPW (about 0.75- 1.50 USD) and instant rice sells for 26,000 KPW (about 3.15 USD).
UMG: With all of these new products available, I wonder how consumers’ tastes have been affected? Which country makes their favorite products?
Sometimes when I speak to my North Korean sources, it feels like I’m speaking to other defectors here in South Korea. They sometimes even make fun of me when I don’t know something about South Korean society that they do! If I was asked to rank the North Korean consumers’ preference out of all the products being bought and sold in the markets, including imported and smuggled goods, my unequivocal answer would be South Korean products. When North Koreans ask for South Korean goods, they even mention the specific names of the manufacturers they like. Having South Korean goods in one’s home is a sign of wealth.
After this comes Japanese goods, and third is North Korean-made goods. The introduction of instant foods, for example, is a sign that the manufacturers are listening and responding to local consumer demand.
Last comes Chinese products. Although their usage is widespread, they rank behind South Korean, Japanese, and North Korean goods because North Koreans consider them to be of inferior quality.
