Author Description

North Korea’s public distribution system has been maintained somewhat perfunctorily since its severe economic hardship in the 1990s. However in reality, rationing to the working class has been suspended, or made through state-owned enterprises. Even the mid-to-lower elite class has not been able to receive rations from the state in a normal manner. As a result, North Korea’s planned economy has not been functioning properly since the Arduous March. At the same time, illegal and antisocialist activities have become widespread, since people seek subsistence in markets. From the center to rural areas, and from the top elite to the mid-to-lower elite class, corruption, such as the accumulation of personal benefits and wealth through abnormal activities, has been rampant in North Korea