“Hc” liquid crystal TVs appeared in markets in Pyongyang, Kaesong and Kangwon Province, multiple sources in North Korea recently told Daily NK.
The reports confirmed that home electronics retailers in Pyongyang and provincial markets resold Hc televisions that were on sale late last month in Pyongyang’s Rakwon Department Store.
A Daily NK source in Pyongyang said Thursday that sellers at Chunggu Market hid the Hc televisions because they are not allowed to openly sell them, putting up signs instead.
They sold five or six sets in a single day, with 15-inch ones going for USD 470 and 19-inch ones for USD 550.
Daily NK reported on Jan. 31 that people flocked to Pyongyang’s Rakwon Department Store on Jan. 26 when the store put 100 Hc televisions on sale.
A source said at the time that the Rakwon Department Store sold the bargain TVs for USD 400 for the 15-inch ones and USD 450 for the 19-inch ones.
This means the televisions that appeared on the market afterwards were resold at prices USD 70 to 80 higher than their discount price.
North Korean households do not properly receive electricity due to North Korea’s chronic power shortages.
However, the source said demand for the latest home electronics is nevertheless high because families can show they are “doing well” as long as they have at least one late-model TV set.
In particular, Hc televisions really excite the resale market thanks to their rarity.
A source in Kangwon Province said there was a rumor that a container truck had brought 15-inch Hc televisions from Pyongyang to Wonsan.
“They didn’t appear in markets for a week, but when they appeared for USD 500 in Kalma Market, they sold out right away.”
Meanwhile, a source in Kaesong told Daily NK that people gathered and dispersed at a stall in Nammun Market last Sunday because it was selling 15-inch Hc televisions from Pyongyang.
“People flocked to the stall because it was selling them for USD 500, and if you buy one, you can resell it for USD 50 higher to people in North or South Hwanghae Province.”
At the center of this vibrant resale market are newlywed couples in their 20s and 30s.
The source said newlywed couples really want to make their homes look pretty and luxurious, “but with no trade or smuggling with China, they have no choice but to turn their attention to the latest domestically sold LCD television.”
However, the source said one naturally needs the financial wherewithal to purchase rare late-model home electronics, so the resale market is making the divide between rich and poor all the more clearer.
The source said households that are somewhat well off can purchase the latest home electronics as wedding presents.
“There’s a class of people who purchase them regardless of how high the resale price is, but there’s also a class that couldn’t even dream of buying them, so the market fully reflects the massive economic divide,” he said.
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Please direct any comments or questions about this article to dailynkenglish@uni-media.net.
