＜Inside N.Korea＞Chaos Spreads as Prices Soar - Gas More Than Doubles, Rice Up 1.65x, Currency Value Falls to One-Third... 'We'll Die Like This…'

◆ Forced Wallet Inspections of Merchants

Source A also reported on a December 5 incident at Hyesan market:

"Merchants were suddenly ordered to open wallets. When Chinese yuan was found, they wrote reports and forcibly confiscated it, causing chaos and upset among merchants. Market management officials announced they'd confiscate all foreign currency, allowing only those who agreed to continue trading."

◆ Income Plummets as Food Prices Surge

Urban residents face severe cash income shortages. Kim Jong-un's regime has heavily restricted private economic activities like commerce, transportation, and restaurants since 2019. Market trading faces increased constraints. Through COVID-19 pandemic economic chaos since 2020, most urban residents have lost cash income opportunities. Some vulnerable populations in provinces are dying from hunger and disease.

"Business is dead. Now we somehow earn through day labor, moving coal or making briquettes. Such work used to pay 3,000-10,000 won per hour, but with too many job seekers, we now get only 5,000 won per day including lunch.

Food prices keep rising right after harvest. Many residents worry we'll die like this. Discontent is enormous."

Source A conveyed residents' unrest.

Daily wage of 5,000 won equals only 0.18USD at the current real exchange rate. People can’t even buy 600g of rice with that. Kim Jong-un's regime needs to release food to residents, not crack down on merchants.

※ ASIAPRESS communicates with its reporting partners through Chinese cell phones smuggled into North Korea.