{"id":3949,"date":"2018-11-06T09:23:47","date_gmt":"2018-11-06T00:23:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.01.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/?p=3949"},"modified":"2018-11-14T17:55:26","modified_gmt":"2018-11-14T08:55:26","slug":"privately-diner-prohibition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/2018\/11\/news\/privately-diner-prohibition\/","title":{"rendered":"\uff1cInside N. Korea\uff1e Ban on privately operated restaurants"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Residents buying food from a street vendor. The man on the left appears to be suffering from malnutrition. Taken in Gangdong County, Pyongyang by Jang Jung-gil, September 2008 (ASIAPRESS)<\/p><\/div>\n

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North Korean authorities have suspended the operation of private restaurants since October 11, according to an ASIAPRESS reporting partner in Hoeryong City, North Hamkyung Province. (Kang Ji-won)<\/p>\n

Regarding the local situation, a reporting partner said during a phone call with ASIAPRESS on October 15, \"They have completely shut down all privately operated restaurants since October 11. The police officers are going around and telling people to close their restaurants.\"<\/p>\n

In Hoeryong City, residents had converted their homes or warehouses into restaurants to sell noodles, tofu, bulgogi and other basic meals. Successful noodle shops could make around 200 CNY (approximately 32,000 KRW) per day, according to the reporting partner.<\/p>\n

The reporting partner explained that the government's decision is intended to boost the profits of the national service network but expressed doubt regarding the sustainability of such measures,\u00a0 saying, \"At the beginning of this year, the private sale of medicine and the operation of private restaurants were banned following anti-socialist inspections, however, enforcement of the ban was relaxed only a month later.\"<\/p>\n

According to the reporting partner, there are many state institutions with affiliated state-operated restaurants. Institutions such as the Commercial Management Office (under the People's Council) and various trade bureaus operate their own restaurants, however, their prices are so high that ordinary residents choose to eat at inexpensive private restaurants instead. Charging customers according to competitive market prices, private restaurants thrived compared to the state-operated restaurants.
\nNext page:It is unknown at this stage whether the authorities...<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Residents purchasing and eating food at an open-air restaurant in a market. Taken in Sunam Market, Chongjin City by Baek Hyang, September 2013 (ASIAPRESS)<\/p><\/div>\n

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It is unknown at this stage whether the authorities' ban on private restaurant operations has been implemented nationwide. As the market economy is expanding, private businesses such as restaurants are growing. At the same time though, service companies officially affiliated with state institutions are being established by the donju, a newly emerging class of wealthy merchants that competes with private business owners.<\/p>\n

It seems that the purpose of the government\u2019s recent measures is to prevent private individuals from owning the means of production and from building private capital. Despite the fact that privately operated restaurants are small in scale, the government is fearful of the potential growth of private capital and is acting decisively in order to protect the interests of the state institutions and donju.<\/p>\n

Prior to the ban, the government had began regulating private restaurants and inspecting food stalls for safety. It seems, however, that the government\u2019s calculus has since changed. According to our reporting partner, \u201cSince October 8, prior to the ban on private restaurants issued on October 11, a central disease control agency was inspecting all food stalls in markets as well as restaurants affiliated with the Commercial Management Office, suspending or shutting down restaurants and food stalls that did not pass the safety inspections.\u201d<\/p>\n

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