Foie Gras, Puppies and Water Parks: North Korea Gets a Glow-Up
Imports of pianos, treadmills and amusement equipment have surged as Kim Jong Un directs spending toward state-run resorts, malls and other leisure projects.
- North Korea has launched a massive domestic consumption drive under Kim, opening luxury beach resorts and malls across the country. State media and trade statistics reveal widespread expansion of leisure facilities intended to channel personal spending into state-controlled networks.
- Pyongyang bankrolls this leisure blitz through revenue streams including coal exports and troop deployments to fight for Russia in Ukraine. Researchers estimate North Korea earned up to $14.4 billion from Russia-Ukraine involvement between August 2023 and December 2025.
- Chinese customs data show surging imports of amusement equipment, including bumper cars worth more than $20,000 between January 2025 and July this year. Wonsan Kalma beach resort attracted more than 300,000 domestic visitors in the latter half of 2025.
- Accumulated wealth creates a middle class of roughly eight million people with savings, driving consumption through state-controlled venues. "Consumption buys time," said Ruediger Frank, a professor of East Asian economy at the University of Vienna.
- After visiting Pyongyang in May, Singapore's foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan called the capital's progress "remarkable," yet experts warn the strategy has limits. "It does not buy loyalty forever," Frank said, as the government continues centralizing commerce control.
11 Articles
11 Articles
North Korea is experiencing a consumer boom: under Kim Jong-un, new shopping centers, stores, and resorts are opening in the country, and the authorities are encouraging consumption, according to Reuters
Over the past decade, imports of massage equipment from China have increased 40-fold, and treadmills have increased by more than 600%. The country is also actively importing pianos and amusement park equipment.Just a couple of years ago, the...
Kim Jong Un wants North Koreans to have more (state-sanctioned) fun
To finance luxury and fun Pyongyang can count on different sources of revenue, including cryptocurrencies, economic relations with Russia and mineral exports
North Korea has been associated a long time with shortages and hunger, but more recently, some people enjoy restaurants, shopping carts and other luxury treats. But all with the ownership of the regime....
Cafes, luxury shops, water parks, ski resorts and theme parks. North Korea, a country rarely associated with leisure and consumption, is experiencing an unexpected boom in entertainment. Leader Kim Jong-un is trying to get his citizens to spend more - and to channel the money into the state-controlled economy.
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