Kim pushes state-run leisure boom in North Korea
Thestandard · 2 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
North Korea is seeing a state-directed expansion of leisure and consumer venues, from coffee bars and water parks to malls, beach resorts and ski destinations. Chinese customs data cited by the reports shows sharp rises in imports linked to recreation and wellness, including massage equipment, treadmills, pianos and bumper cars. Analysts say Kim Jong Un is using officially managed consumption to pull spending away from informal markets and into channels the state can supervise and profit from. The push is unfolding even as the country remains under heavy UN sanctions, while South Korea’s central bank said North Korea’s economy grew 3.5% in 2025, marking a third straight year above 3%.
Key Points
- Chinese customs data shows North Korea’s imports of massage equipment rose 40-fold over the past decade, while treadmill shipments increased by more than 600%.
- Reuters’ review, cited by the reports, linked the trend to new luxury malls, beach resorts and ski destinations appearing around North Korea
- Analyst Kang Seong-hyeon of the Hyundai Research Institute said the strategy draws market production, distribution and capital flows into state-managed official space.
- The consumer push is advancing despite UN sanctions covering luxury goods, energy and mineral trade aimed at constraining North Korea’s weapons programme.
- After visiting Pyongyang in May, Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said the capital’s progress was “remarkable” and resembled “any modern city” in East Asia
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the story offers a rare window into how North Korea may be reshaping its economy through controlled consumption rather than open-market reform. It also suggests sanctions-era growth can coexist with selective imports and state-run retail expansion, complicating outside efforts to judge the country’s economic direction.