North
Koreans are growing anxious as food prices are fluctuating wildly amid
uncertainty over the reopening of the border with China and the
resumption of trade with Pyongyang’s largest trading partner. The United
Nations predicts North Korea could see a difficult period between
August and October of this year - with an expected shortfall of over
940,000 tons of food.
“I don’t understand why food prices and
exchange rates are constantly changing. Yesterday the exchange rate for
the U.S. dollar was 6,100 won, but it went down to 5,300 in the
evening,” one source, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told
RFA.
Food prices have sharply increased in the capital despite
authorities’ efforts to shield the country’s elite citizens from price
shocks. Even during the double squeeze of international nuclear
sanctions and most of the coronavirus emergency, the price of food in
the capital had remained stable. Now, “The price of a kilogram of rice,
which used to be around 5,000 [$0.96] won until last month, is now 7,000
won [$1.35],” a resident of Pyongyang told RFA on June 4.
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