North Korea is counted among the most powerful countries in the world. Despite international sanctions, economic crisis and strict control over information, the government of Kim Jong Un is now trying to give the country a modern consumerist image. A report recently published in the New York Times has a description of glimpses that foreign tourists and students have shared with Pyongyang and coastal areas.
The report of the newspaper states that the ‘Starbucks Reserve’ is being cheated in the capital Pyongyang under the name “Mirai Reserve”, where expensive coffee is sold in several dollars. Similarly, the city’s multi -storey shopping mall is called “North Korean IKEA” because its texture and accessories match the Swedish company IKEA. Although the business of foreign luxury brands in North Korea under United Nations restrictions is forbidden, it is still visible from copying or smuggling of Western brands. This trend shows that Kim Jong -Un’s strategy is not only to promote consumerism, but also to avoid the hunger of the western things of the capital of the capital and draw foreign currency into the treasury of the state.
Also read this: Our country will never see South Korea as a diplomatic partner: Kim Jong Un’s sister
Let us tell you that the second major use has been done at the coastal area Vonasan Kalma Resort, which is being called “Viciki of North Korea”. Facilities like modern hotels, water slides and foreign beer have been provided here to attract foreign tourists. Tourists from Russia call it shining and attractive. Let us tell you that there is no United Nations ban on the tourism industry, so North Korea considers it a major means of acquiring foreign currency. But the risk is also associated with it-as foreign tourists enter the country, external information and ideas can also reach inside. This poses a danger of Kim’s powerful grip being loosened.
If seen, the biggest contradiction here is that while Pyongyang has digital payment, fake brands and grand malls, the average annual income of ordinary citizens of the country is just around $ 1,000. Most of the public is far from these amenities. It is clear from this that Kim’s ‘modern consumer culture’ is actually a mask decorated for the elite class and foreign tourists, not real development for a broad society.
However, if seen, this strategy of North Korea is seen working at two levels. First- to raise foreign currency bypassing international sanctions and second- to call the global image of the country modern and tourist-friend. But how durable this “fake modernity” will be, it is a big question. Duplication and showy prosperity of the West may give immediate benefits, but if the flow of information and the effect of external culture increases, then the same can prove to be a long -term challenge for the Kim rule.
-Niraj Kumar Dubey