Underground market trade in North Korea is evolving quickly as authorities step up enforcement against informal commerce. Since the devastating Arduous March famine in the 1990s, many citizens have depended on local markets to survive. Now, increased surveillance and pressure have forced vendors to change tactics.
Merchants who once sold grain, goods, and imported items at official markets are moving operations into their homes. They now rely on mobile phones to take orders and deliver directly to customers. This shift has transformed the economy into a phone-based delivery network using bikes, motorcycles, and small trucks.
The growth of underground market trade reflects the growing need for secrecy. Although some forms of home delivery existed before, the current scale is unprecedented. To avoid detection, merchants take strict precautions. They delete call records, visit discreetly, and avoid contact with new customers who might be informants.
Trust plays a critical role. Only loyal clients are served, especially when dealing in banned goods like foreign currency or gasoline. To stay hidden, traders use code words. People refer to dollars as “herring,” call Chinese yuan “trout,” and describe rice as “books.”
Market supervisors sometimes assist in secret. If a supervisor mentions “nice weather,” vendors know no inspectors will visit that day. These signals help merchants avoid enforcement. Supervisors rely on vendor fees, so some choose to protect the very sellers they regulate.
Daily bribes are also part of underground market trade. Merchants say law enforcement officers take money without hesitation. State security agents often demand extra payments even after earlier bribes. Cigarettes or small bills are handed over regularly to maintain peace.
Despite the pressure, vendors are beginning to push back. When inspectors attempt to confiscate goods, nearby traders often band together to resist. This growing defiance shows a shift in public response to government controls.
Underground market trade continues to adapt under growing restrictions. With each crackdown, North Koreans find new methods to survive and protect their livelihoods in the shadows of a tightly controlled system.
