North Korean authorities using market prices for policy

According to the Daily NK:

The North Korean authorities officially determine product prices in North Korea. However, according to inside sources, these prices are being ignored more and more in favor of prices determined by market forces. Instead of official price designations, the authorities have posted ‘price ceilings,’ but they are not strictly enforcing them.

In a telephone conversation with the Daily NK on November 13th, a source from North Hamgyong Province said, “Official prices have almost completely disappeared from the markets. Reflecting this trend, even the market management offices located in each official marketplace are listing ‘price ceilings’ instead of official prices.”

Daily NK spoke with a source in South Hamgyong Province who confirmed this to be the case there as well.

“Furthermore, the price ceilings are being determined by the market rates, so the meaning of these regulations is fading. For example, if the going rate for rice at any given time is 5,000 KPW [0.58 USD] per kilogram, than the price ceiling would be set at something like 4,500- 5,000 KPW [0.52-0.58 USD],” she said.

“These ceiling prices are indeed posted, but they are not enforced. Ministry of People’s Safety [which act as the North’s police forces] officers are not able to command merchants to lower their prices. The atmosphere is such that if they even tried, they would likely be insulted and cursed at by the vendors.”

She added, “At the market, it has been quite some time since people realized that the official prices are meaningless. If a buyer asked a merchant for the official price of a given product, that merchant would likely to scold the buyer for not having proper control of his mental faculties.”

In a true indication that the national prices are being disregarded on a wide-scale level, even the authorities have shown signs that they are interested in understanding how market rates work.

For example, from Provincial People’s Committees, cabinet ministers are being kept abreast of the local market rate for product prices on a daily basis. “They are trying to understand the exact market prices for given quantities of goods like electronics and foodstuffs,” the source explained.

When asked to describe how ordinary North Korean folks were reacting to this news, she said, “People are saying things like, ‘The authorities explain that they want to understand rice prices so they can think of measures to improve the lives of the people, but that just makes us laugh. The best thing they can do to help is to stay out of the way.’”

Read the full story here:
Authorities tacitly recognize market-determined prices
Daily NK
Lee Sang Yong
2015-11-16

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