North Korea is seeing the number of street

vendors swell recently on the back of relaxed regulations on market activities

and private sales in general. Areas with higher levels of foot traffic have

especially become popular spots for these makeshift operations, Daily NK has

learned.

“Street stalls, where people can grab a

bite on the go, have been growing rapidly in numbers,” a source in South

Pyongan Province told Daily NK on Wednesday. “In some neighborhoods in the

province, these stalls are lined up outside the market within a 2km radius.”

An additional source in North Pyongan

Province verified these developments.

Most street booths sell simple dishes for

delivery men such as noodles or mock meat rice (rice placed between

soybean-derived strips), and more food stalls that offer bowls of ‘onban’

(seaweed broth with rice) are also popping up at a rapid pace, according to the

source.

“There are more merchants who have less

time to eat properly, so some even offer sweets and crackers instead,” she added. “A lot of times, these vendors will stop by before setting out on

the road and they’ll mass purchase these goods.”

Such activities are not limited to the day

time. Similar to scenes that unfold on the streets of South Korea, some booths

only open shop at night. Stall owners will work other jobs during the day and

sell drinks and food in the evening hours to make money late into the night

hours, said the source.

“These street booths generate their own

electricity, and they make stews and side dishes to sell along with soju (rice

liquor) and beer,” explained the source. “For merchants who have to travel long

distances, it’s a great set-up to enjoy a drink and relax in short period of time.”

These street stalls are not regular stands

set up in the marketplace. In principle, they do not need to pay any fees, but Ministry of People’s Security officials overseeing these areas will regularly ask for ‘rent’

in return for turning a blind eye to their unlicensed operations.

“If you don’t pay them, they come at you

immediately, so the vendors have no choice but to pay,” the source said. “But

recently, I’ve seen a lot of cases, where they fight over the sum required.”

Street stalls are also appearing along the

fringe of markets, where those who cannot afford to pay for a spot within the

market will set up a booth outside of the parameters. With this, street booths

are expanding into neighborhoods and stretching beyond the immediate market

area, according to the source.

The increase of such makeshift operations

is also spreading to areas with high population density such as around train

stations, bus stops, and downtown areas. Sometimes, the booths are even said to

appear in clusters, with 20 to 30 operations setting up shop within residential

areas, acting almost like shopping malls found within large apartment complexes

in the South.