In N Korea, people buying own house than waiting for govt to allot them one
28 March 2014 4:38 AM IST
On paper, the socialist state owns all property. But the percentage of North Koreans who are buying their own home, as opposed to waiting for the government to assign one, is growing rapidly, surveys of defectors show. Brokers can be found with lists of property for sale in private markets selling food and cheap consumer goods that are tolerated by the government in cities and towns around North Korea, the defectors and experts said.
‘You can find a house you want by asking brokers,’ said Kim Young-il, a defector and activist in Seoul. Deals are done in US dollars in the capital Pyongyang and in Chinese yuan along the border with China, where most of the North’s trade with the outside world takes place. The buyers and sellers then bribe housing officials to effectively approve the transaction by issuing or modifying residency documents, the defectors and experts said.
It’s another example of how the regime of leader Kim Jong Un is turning a blind eye to a black market that is offering North Koreans a chance to upgrade their living conditions, move from one location to another or to simply make some money, especially given that house prices have been rising steadily. It is common for defectors to send money to the North so their families can buy better homes.
Activist Kim and two other defectors say they have also heard of some people buying property as an investment ahead of what they hope will be the eventual reunification of their impoverished homeland and the wealthy South. Reuters could not confirm those accounts.
Defectors send an estimated $10 million each year to help their families in the North, according to the Organization for One Korea, a South Korean support group for defectors. The money is routed through agents on China’s side of the land border. ‘Money talks in North Korea.
If you have money, send it to somebody you trust. You can buy a decent house in the border region with China,’ said Kim, the defector, who runs a non-governmental organisation called People for Successful Corean Reunification, which uses the ancient spelling of Korea.
Kim said he had a friend who needed to raise money last winter to fund his escape to the South, so the friend sold his apartment in the North Korean border city of Hyesan for 40,000 Chinese yuan. He declined to identify his friend, who he said was at a re-settlement centre south of Seoul that helps defectors try to get to grips with life in South Korea.
MISSILES INSTEAD OF HOUSING
Under the socialist system erected by Kim Il Sung, the young leader’s grandfather, the government built and allocated housing to its citizens.
‘You can find a house you want by asking brokers,’ said Kim Young-il, a defector and activist in Seoul. Deals are done in US dollars in the capital Pyongyang and in Chinese yuan along the border with China, where most of the North’s trade with the outside world takes place. The buyers and sellers then bribe housing officials to effectively approve the transaction by issuing or modifying residency documents, the defectors and experts said.
It’s another example of how the regime of leader Kim Jong Un is turning a blind eye to a black market that is offering North Koreans a chance to upgrade their living conditions, move from one location to another or to simply make some money, especially given that house prices have been rising steadily. It is common for defectors to send money to the North so their families can buy better homes.
Activist Kim and two other defectors say they have also heard of some people buying property as an investment ahead of what they hope will be the eventual reunification of their impoverished homeland and the wealthy South. Reuters could not confirm those accounts.
Defectors send an estimated $10 million each year to help their families in the North, according to the Organization for One Korea, a South Korean support group for defectors. The money is routed through agents on China’s side of the land border. ‘Money talks in North Korea.
If you have money, send it to somebody you trust. You can buy a decent house in the border region with China,’ said Kim, the defector, who runs a non-governmental organisation called People for Successful Corean Reunification, which uses the ancient spelling of Korea.
Kim said he had a friend who needed to raise money last winter to fund his escape to the South, so the friend sold his apartment in the North Korean border city of Hyesan for 40,000 Chinese yuan. He declined to identify his friend, who he said was at a re-settlement centre south of Seoul that helps defectors try to get to grips with life in South Korea.
MISSILES INSTEAD OF HOUSING
Under the socialist system erected by Kim Il Sung, the young leader’s grandfather, the government built and allocated housing to its citizens.
Next Story
