{"id":4589,"date":"2020-05-22T17:54:19","date_gmt":"2020-05-22T08:54:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.01.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/?p=4589"},"modified":"2022-05-16T18:01:09","modified_gmt":"2022-05-16T09:01:09","slug":"rotten-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.02.asiapress.org\/rimjin-gang\/2020\/05\/recommendations\/rotten-food\/","title":{"rendered":"\uff1cInside N. Korea\uff1e Rotten Luck: Residents Falling Sick From Eating Spoiled, Low-Quality Food as Border Blockade Increases Dependency on Domestic Industries"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

(file photo) A woman selling Chinese-made sausages on the streets in front of a downtown Pyongyang apartment building. Photographed in the Peony District in July 2011 by Koo Kwang-ho<\/p><\/div>\n

Since the Kim Jong-un regime blocked the Chinese border in late January to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, daily necessities and groceries produced in China have not made it to markets, causing significant disruption to residents\u2019 lives. The authorities are currently emphasizing localization through \u201cself-regeneration\u201d as a solution to the problem but, with the quality of domestically-produced food so low, the campaign has caused frustration and led to further problems.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe markets have ran out of Chinese products so they are selling domestically-produced foods at state-run stores and markets. However, there have been a number of people who have suffered stomach pain as a result of spoiled and moldy products. The frequent need for refunds and exchanges has created a lot of friction,\u201d a reporting partner from North Hamkyung Province explained to ASIAPRESS on May 14.<\/p>\n

In North Korea\u2019s markets for daily goods, Chinese-made products have dominated shelves since the late 1990\u2019s, with goods ranging from clothing to sundries, fruit, and food. The economic crisis, which paralyzed production at the turn of the century, brought the introduction of cheap products from neighboring China to North Korea\u2019s markets, where they have since had much success.<\/p>\n

Since the late 2000\u2019s, however, there has been a perception among North Korean consumers that \u201cfood imports from China are unhealthy due to their low quality.\u201d As such, Chinese food products were distrusted.<\/p>\n

North Korean consumers held domestically-produced food in higher regard and items such as bread, snacks, dried noodles, and beverages competed well with Chinese products at the market.<\/p>\n

With trade with China currently suspended, one might imagine that there is a golden opportunity for domestic food producers to gain a greater share of the market. In reality, however, an opposite effect has resulted from the halt in trade. This is due to the fact that domestically-produced food cannot be properly made without raw materials imported from China.<\/p>\n

A reporting partner explained, \u201cNorth Korean producers use raw materials from China such as preservatives, seasoning, and additives, etc. Because those products cannot be made here in North Korea, the snacks and bread currently being produced becomes moldy and spoils very quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition, as containers and other food packaging is produced with Chinese machines and raw materials imported from China, there are said to be major disruptions to domestic food production.
\nNext page :Conflicts with the authorities over \u201cnon-refundable\u201d goods...<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"

(file photo) A woman selling food from China at a market. Photographed by ASIAPRESS in October 2013 in Ryanggang Province<\/p><\/div>\n

\u25c6 Conflicts with the authorities over \u201cnon-refundable\u201d goods<\/h2>\n

With the government\u2019s \u201cself-regenerative\u201d efforts, food produced in local factories is distributed to state-run shops overseen by administrative commercial management offices. Market traders, in turn, visit the factories and state-run shops to directly buy goods wholesale. As there are no Chinese-made goods to compete with at the markets, the domestically-produced goods are said to be selling well.<\/p>\n

With the recent fall in the quality of domestically-produced food, trust in North Korean food has reached a significant low. If consumers ask for refunds or exchanges, the commercial management offices only turn them away by saying, \u201cThere was no problem with the product at the time of sale.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the reporting partner, \u201cthere is a regulation that all defective products must be disposed of and expired food used as feed for livestock. State-run stores, however, are secretly selling spoiled food to poor people at half-price. It is also said that more and more people are trying to sell home-made alcohol and discarded food. Expired bread, for example, is sold at 5,000-6,000 won per kilogram.\u201d
\n\u203b1,000 North Korean won is worth approximately 0.11 USD<\/p>\n

\u203b ASIAPRESS contacts its reporting partners in North Korea through smuggled Chinese mobile phones.<\/p>\n

\n
\uff1cRelated Article\uff1e<\/div>\n