Foreign beer, luxury goods spotted in Pyongyang despite UN sanctions

Recent posts by Chinese social media users in Pyongyang have revealed the widespread sale of foreign and luxury goods in North Korean department stores and restaurants, raising questions about the effectiveness of United Nations sanctions.

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A video uploaded to the Xiaohongshu platform on Oct 4 by a user claiming to be involved in North Korea-China trade shows aisles of foreign products at Pyongyang’s Ryugyong Golden Plaza, a shopping mall that opened in July 2023.

The user described the footage as a “real look at Pyongyang’s supermarkets”, highlighting brands such as Huawei, Chanel and SK-II as among the most sought-after in the capital.

The video pans across stalls selling Dior, Adidas and Lancome items, all tagged with North Korea’s signature pink price labels.

“Most products are sourced by us (China), who do trade with North Korea,” the user boasted.

Meanwhile, an earlier clip posted on Sept 21 by the same user shows supermarket shelves stocked with Japanese household goods, including a mothball product branded with the English word “Snoopy”.