This is “NK Market Trends,” bringing you
weekly updates on the North Korean economy. This week we sat down with reporter
Kang Mi Jin to discuss the latest trends; but first, let’s take a look at how
the jangmadang (market) has been doing.
We’ll begin by providing a rundown of the price
of rice, the currency conversion rates, and the cost of other goods in North
Korean markets. The price of 1 kg of rice has dipped somewhat, trading for
4,880 KPW in Pyongyang, 4,800 KPW in Sinuiju, and 4,750 KPW in Hyesan.
The cost of one kg of corn kernels was 1,800 KPW in Pyongyang, 1,800 KPW in
Sinuiju, and 1,900 KPW in Hyesan. Moving along, the USD was trading at 8,500
KPW in Pyongyang, 8,760 KPW in Sinuiju, and 8,800 KPW in Hyesan.
The Chinese
yuan was trading for 1,335 KPW in Pyongyang, 1,320 KPW in Sinuiju, and 1,310
KPW in Hyesan. One kg of pork was selling at 11,000 KPW in Pyongyang, 10,600 in
Hyesan, and 11,500 KPW in Sinuiju. Gasoline was trading at 7,400 KPW per kg in
Pyongyang, 7,300 KPW in Sinuiju, and at 7,300 KPW per kg in Hyesan. Finally, 1
kg of diesel fuel was selling at 5,350 KPW in Pyongyang, 5,200 KPW in Sinuiju,
and 5,250 KPW in Hyesan. This has been a rundown of the latest market prices in
North Korea.
1. We just looked at market prices in the North,
and it looks like there weren’t many changes from the previous week. With the
winter getting colder, we hear that a lot of warm dishes are selling well, and
reporter Kang Mi Jin has that story for us.
Sources in the North tell us that as the
country enters the winter season, a lot of piping hot dishes are popular in the
marketplace. Most residents spend their entire day outdoors selling goods at
the market, so the first thing they look for when they get there is hot food.
Some vendors even eat all three meals at the market. At around 10 a.m. when the
markets open, they move their goods to their stalls and are said to head
straight to food booths. For breakfast, a popular meal is a steaming block of
tofu with sauce, and others eat steamed dumplings. All of this is probably as
people have come to recognize hot food in the belly makes the cold so much more
manageable. I feel like I can smell the food from all the way over there.
2. I’m a big fan of tofu, so that gets my
appetite going. But you said some vendors spend their entire day at the market,
so do they not eat until they get their first meal at market open?
Some vendors eat before they head out, but
a lot of them get most of their meals at the market. If you saw a vendor
(typically female) choosing to eat out when there’s a much cheaper option at
home, people would criticize that person for being wasteful, but North Korean
women are very conservative when it comes to spending. The problem is vendors
who sell things like rice or flour have to head out extra early to get their
goods from wholesale, so they don’t even have time to cook for the family
before they head out. So where would they get their food?
It no question
becomes the marketplace, and that’s also a great way for both food vendors and
other people to start the day off. I used to sell food in the markets in the
past, and in hot weather people look for dishes that can help stave off the
heat, while when it starts to get nippy, warm food helps boost sales.
3. It’s almost a given that people will go
for cold dishes like naengmyeon [chilled noodles in cold broth or topped with
sauce] or ice cream, when it’s hot, and hot dishes in the cold. What kind of
hot dishes would they be selling at the market in the North?
A couple of the examples I mentioned were
steamed tofu and dumplings. Some vendors prepare onban [hot rice in soup,
usually made from pork stock] for others in the morning, so it’s good both for
those buying and selling, and you can start your day in a good mood. Sources
tell me things differ a little depending on the region, so in the northern
Yanggang Province, where it’s mountainous, some have food stalls, where they
make gamjajeon [pan-fried potato pancakes] on the spot.
Other places have
stalls with sundae [Korean blood sausage] that they fish directly out of
steaming hot iron pots, and of course there are noodles in hot broth as well.
Also, some vendors prepare dongjijuk [red bean porridge enjoyed on winter
solstice] even though it’s not winter solstice, and other popular items for
sale are gamjatteok [potato rice cakes].
Food like dongjijuk and gamjatteok are
things you wouldn’t easily enjoy at home, but they’re available at the market,
so it’s not only people there but others around train stations that stop by to
eat them as a treat. These hot dishes are also found in South Pyongan
Province’s markets as well. You’ll see sorghum pancakes or hot rice with soup
available for breakfast, so the market area already has warm air going around
in the morning, making it much more enjoyable for the vendors. This scene is
probably pretty much universal around the country around this time.
4. It sounds like there are so many
different types of foods, ranging from potato rice cakes, sundae, and hot
noodles. Tell us more about the prices of these dishes.
The rice cakes are sold individually, and
one that’s typically smaller than the size of your fist is about 250 KPW.
Noodles cost about 500 KPW for a small bowl, and then they cost 1,000 KPW or
1,500 KPW as the servings get larger. It’s the same for rice in hot soup, only
there are no 500 KPW dishes, and instead they start at 1,000 KPW. Sundae
typically sells for 13,000 KPW for a kilogram regardless of the thickness, and
since it’s expensive, a lot of people pool money together to buy and share it.
There are so many different types of dishes at the market that by eating there
every day you get to try a lot of different foods.
Potato pancakes sell for 500 or 1,000 KPW.
What people say they like about eating at the market is that they get to pick
out what they want to eat. In Kilju of North Hamgyong Province, people are said
to enjoy dog meat soup, and it costs about 2,000 KPW for a bowl. The soup is
definitely more popular in the summer, but for residents who are conscious of
their health, it’s a much sought out meal.
5. These all sound like mouthwatering
options. Since I can’t try them quite yet, I’ll have to wait until the two
Koreas are reunified to get a taste. I think introducing all these different
dishes from around North Korea would be a great idea after reunification. I
remember talking to a defector once who used to sell food at the market, and
the person told me food vendors exchange dishes with each other as well.
That happens quite often among food
vendors. Those selling bread exchange their goods for noodles, sundae vendors
eat tofu, and most of the time all you need to do is approach other vendors
with your dish, and they typically are more than happy to do so. If not,
they’ll suggest swapping dishes at another time, and this is how you get the
conversation going during meal times. It’s also born out of need if you think
about it. If you make noodles for a living, who would want to eat that all the
time, since you would get tired of it. That’s the same for all other food
vendors, so people enjoy swapping food like that.
I used to sell food in the markets as well,
mostly bread. I sold baked bread (using a wood-fired oven), and they sold a lot faster than others’, so I wouldn’t eat
that often at the market. But after I started to increase the supply, I would
stay later and eat lunch. Some of my favorites would be potato rice cakes or
noodles.
Looking back on those days, it does make me
realize I was only able to get through the tough times, because we would share
food and laugh over stories. Sometimes we would each bring foods of our choice
and come together with friends to share it in one spot. It would be nice to get
our hands on different dishes and share with others in one sitting.
There are also stalls where you can get
different types of dishes all in one place. In this case, the operator of the
stall would have a basic dish that they sell, and then others would come asking
him or her to sell their goods as well. By doing so, the main operator would be
able to sell more options in one spot and keep some of the profits made off of
the added dishes. So it’s a way to help someone out but also earn some more
from it, and it makes me think this aspect of it is not so such different from
capitalist markets.
6. Are there service jobs at the market as
well?
I can’t say there aren’t any. As elements
of the market economy spread across the country, different service jobs pop up
as well. For example, you might have someone deliver the goods you bought to
your home at a particular time. As I mentioned earlier, I used to sell bread at
the market, and I would make more than 12kg worth of bread a day. If I did
really well for the day, I would be able to buy 25kg of flour at the end of the
day even after making all the costs back. But after buying food for the family,
and the goods that I need for the next day, I wouldn’t be able to carry the
flour, so the flour vendor would each and every time deliver it to my house. I
think the person thought doing that should be a given.
Most of my customers were trade companies
or homes with special family events, so aside from the little supply that I set
aside to sell at my stall, I would for the most part deliver the rest to my
customers. I didn’t understand at the time that was a form of service that I
was performing, but I did notice that vendors that offer those options were
more preferred. That form of service has now evolved, so if you place a call to
a vendor at a stall, now you’ll see some delivering hot meals. If the food is
the same and everyone offers similar amounts, you can pretty much say it’s the
service that determines whether you do well or not. So you can tell that North
Korean markets are starting to take on the framework of market economies.
In the North, you can’t get by without
getting ahead in competition, so North Koreans are developing the service
industry according to their own will. Even in this moment, I can imagine
vendors up there tossing and turning at night, trying to figure out how to sell
more goods faster than others. And to everyone out there who is living each day
to its fullest for yourself and your families, thank you for tuning into
Unification Media Group, and you’ll hear back from us next week. Good bye for
now.
