◆ Wages Can't Even Buy Fruit... The Collapse of the North Korean Won
Prices in Pyongyang may be somewhat higher than in other cities. For imported fruit, the effect of exchange rate fluctuations must also be taken into account. ASIAPRESS conducted a large-scale price survey inside North Korea in May and June. At the time, ordinary workers at state enterprises earned wages (monthly pay) of 35,000 to 50,000 won. On wages alone, these fruits are completely out of reach.
※ 10,000 North Korean won is roughly 178 South Korean won (as of October 30, 2026) ※ Enterprises with autonomous management discretion sometimes pay wages of 70,000 to 100,000 won or more per month.
Fruit prices point to extreme hyperinflation, but the picture changes when the yardstick is switched from the North Korean won to the Chinese yuan. According to an ASIAPRESS survey, white rice recently (October 30, 2026) sold for 51,000 won per kilogram, or 3.6 yuan. A year earlier (October 31, 2025), white rice sold for 20,000 won per kilogram, or 4.2 yuan. ※ 1 Chinese yuan is roughly 200 South Korean won (as of November 9, 2026)
In other words, measured in yuan, the price of rice has actually fallen. The ongoing hyperinflation in North Korea can therefore be attributed less to external factors, such as rising import prices including oil, than to the collapse in value of the North Korean won itself.
Prices only take shape when consumers exist and actual transactions take place. Judging by Pyongyang's fruit prices, it appears that a segment of the population with access to foreign currency is buying the fruit. The Kim Jong-un regime strictly cracks down on the use of foreign currency by individuals. Moreover, North Korea today is no longer the era when individuals could earn yuan through economic activity in the markets and elsewhere. For ordinary people, who can no longer get their hands on foreign currency, the situation remains extremely difficult.
