North Korea is experiencing a surge in consumer activity and luxury imports
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un encourages citizens to spend savings amid economic growth
Quick Look
- North Korea is showing an increase in consumer activity: imports of massagers have increased 40 times, and treadmills by more than 600%.
- Luxury shopping malls and resorts are opening across the country, and the economy is growing for the third year in a row.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
North Korea's economy will grow by 3.5 percent in 2025.
North Korea is experiencing an unexpected burst of fun as the country's leader Kim Jong-un comes up with new ways for citizens to spend their savings. Reuters reports this.
Imports of massage equipment into the DPRK have grown 40-fold over the past decade, and supplies of treadmills have grown by more than 600 percent. Pianos and amusement rides are also coming into the country. Luxury shopping malls, beach resorts and ski areas are popping up across North Korea, according to an analysis of trade statistics and state media reports.
“This strategy directs production, distribution and capital flows concentrated in markets into the formal economic space run by the state,” said Kang Sung-hyun, a researcher at the Hyundai Research Institute think tank in Seoul.
North Korea's economy grew 3.5 percent in 2025, surpassing three percent for the third year in a row, according to South Korea's central bank. In Pyongyang, the Rangnang Aeguk Kumgang shopping center with cappuccino and household appliances, the Hwasong Taedonggang beer garden and a pet store opened, which Kim Jong-un visited with his daughter.
Open Questions
- What are the sources of financing for import growth?
- How widely available are new products to ordinary citizens?
