The sellers at the Jangmadang are waiting for customers to sell ransacks filled with rice or produce. This is confirmed by ASIAPRESS video footage. The rice in the Jangmadang is either of China origin or it is delivered from farms.
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Resellers are called 'Doegurikun'. They sell staple foods to wholesalers in the city Jangmadang. They transport their goods from distant villages. Kim Dong-cheol, the reporter, says that the poor people in a city do this job because it is hard work to move heavy grain.
In his video, 'Doegurikun' can barely move his bicycle up the hill because it is full of corn. The urban poor have to endure hardship to make ends meet by earning a mere 30 won margin per kg.
The Kim Jong-un regime has tightened control over people’s travel. In addition, checkpoints sometimes seize food or demand bribes. This makes life in 'Doegurikun' even harder.
Related article: [Video Report] Wholesale Black Market Prospering with Prohibited Goods
* Editor’s notes on North Korean reporters
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