Marketing In North Korea (3)

- Do women only mean flowers?

Jeon Byung-kil

Senior Consultant of YESInnovation

former of Secretary General of UniKorea Foundation

Things that liberated women

In the spring of 2009, L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican's official newspaper, announced that the greatest contribution to women's liberation in the 20th century was neither the pill nor the right to work, but the washing machine. In addition, according to a survey conducted by MBC and the Korean Sociological Association on the 60th anniversary of the establishment of South Korean government in 2008, the washing machine was ranked first as the object that has changed women's lives the most over the past 60 years. The washing machine has contributed to women's empowerment because they can put their laundry in the machine instead of washing it by hand, relieve themselves of physical housework while running, and use the extra time for themselves.

A North Korean woman tries on cosmetics from the Nari Cosmetics Factory at the '2022 Women's Clothing Exhibition'

in Pyongyang, held from October to November 2022.  / Yonhap News Agency

The 20th century began to revolutionize women's lives with the popularization of sanitary napkins, contraceptives, and washing machines. More women entered the workforce and became economically independent. Women became new agents of production and consumption. They have a stronger social influence than before.

But what about the women of North Korea? In 2012, a North Korean defector media outlet surveyed defectors about what they most wanted to send to their families in North Korea, and the number one item was ramen noodles, followed by feminine hygiene products. North Korea produces its own sanitary napkins, but they are still in short supply and expensive. According to an August 2019 survey of North Korean defectors conducted by The Institute for Peace and Unification Studies at Seoul National University, 69% of North Korean households have an electric rice cooker, 31% have a refrigerator, and 18% have a washing machine. North Korean women still have a long way to go to achieve the convenient living conditions they desire.

On March 2, 2021, North Korean media 'DPRK Today' reported the rising popularity of 'Kumgangsan Cosmetics.'

Workers are seen packing skincare products, BB cream, and mascara. / Yonhap News Agency

'Women are flowers ?'

There's a song in North Korean music called "Women are Flowers”. The song, written in 1993, emphasizes the importance of women's roles in life, emphasizing them as helpers to men. 

1. Women are Flowers, Flowers of Life

A flower that takes care of the home.

Without you, my dear wife and sister

A place in my life would be empty

Women are flowers, flowers of life

2. Women are flowers. Flowers of happiness.

A flower that grows sons and daughters into heroes

Without you, my dear wife and sister.

A place of happiness is empty

A woman is a flower, a flower of happiness

The view of women in this song is also how North Korea has traditionally viewed women. North Korea has actively promoted gender equality policies aftercommunist forces came to power in 1945. North Korean authorities wanted to encourage women's participation in society and draw them into the labor force. From this point on, North Korean women were employed in factories and coal mines. At home, they were expected to be mothers raising revolutionary warriors. The image of women as militant in the outside world and obedient in the home was established.

But after the hardships of the 1990s, North Korean women's lives have changed. They are now more active in the economy than ever before. Women are the mainstay of the Jangmadang economy.  

While men are tied to the military and organizations, women are less controlled by them, so they sell at the market to support their families. Through the market, North Korean women are experiencing more choices, expanding their range of activities, and thinking about how to better engage with reality.

The collapse of the rationing system and the subsequent dependence of male heads of households on female breadwinners has led to a shift in women's consciousness. Many of North Korea's emerging wealthy, known as "donju," money changers and wholesalers, are women. North Korean women have expanded their networks through involvement in marketplaces, and younger women in particular have become more aware of the outside world and the lives of women in China and South Korea, which has increased their awareness of women's rights and equal rights.

Marketing strategies to win the hearts and minds of women

Every year on March 8, around International Women's Day. North Korean media reports on people buying souvenirs at cosmetics stores. North Korea has a unique way of celebrating International Women's Day. First of all, men are expected to do household chores on this day. Workplaces and villages organize feasts for women. Men also profess their love on this day by giving cosmetics and other gifts to their wives if they are married, and to their crushes if they are single.

Tae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat who defected to South Korea in 2016, described International Women's Day in the March 16, 2019 edition of Chosun Ilbo.

"On International Women's Day, women are a little tired from all the political events, such as the commemorative reporting conferences, but they secretly look forward to it. For North Korean men, International Women's Day is a day to impress their female colleagues. Men who work in centralized organizations in Pyongyang buy gourmet meals for their female colleagues. 

Higher-ranking bosses are expected to bring nice gifts for their female subordinates. Restaurants prepare special menus for women's favorite dishes, and stores offer cosmetic gift sets for International Women's Day, including expensive foreign cosmetic sets. 

The day after International Women's Day, the talk among female employees is about what gifts their bosses gave them and what restaurants they ate at."

In North Korean culture, it's perfectly normal to report news about cosmetics stores on International Women's Day, when women in North Korea receive the most gifts.

On March 8, 2021, North Korea's propaganda outlet Rodong Sinmun noted the importance of International Women's Day marketing for cosmetics sales, saying

"When International Women's Day comes around, people think about what to give their women first, and cosmetics are probably the most common gift, because we want our women, the flower of society and the flower of the home, to be more beautiful and younger. 

Therefore, we put a lot of effort into preparing souvenirs to make it more convenient for visitors. We have cosmetics and other health products made with ginseng as the main ingredient, such as vitamin and collagen cosmetics that add youthfulness to women, which are very popular."

The constant development and production of cosmetics in North Korea means that the demand for them is growing. It's not just cosmetics, either: there are an increasing number of products targeted at women, including clothes, bags, and shoes. This shows that North Korean women are an important part of the country's consumer culture.

Toward sustainable lives for women in North Korea

North Korea's young women are showing signs of change. They are no longer as uniform as they once were. It's not uncommon to see North Korean women wearing skirts that go above the knee and outfits that match their personalities, including matching bags and shoes. 

This is due in large part to a shift in the mindset of young North Korean women. Whereas the older generation of women prepared for marriage by earning money, young North Korean women are now investing in themselves. They haven't received many benefits from the state, so they are very dependent on the market and long for the outside world.

Young North Korean women use consumption to make a statement and differentiate themselves from others. While this is not the case in all parts of North Korea, it has taken hold among young women in the capital, Pyongyang, and other major cities.

Young North Korean women hope for change. However North Korean society's male-dominated culture remains strong. More and more women are refusing to marry or have children because they believe that marriage will bring hardship. A clear indicator of this is the declining birth rate. After the end of the "Arduous March," the North Korean government began a policy of encouraging births. According to the 1993-2008 North Korean census and the 2014 joint survey by the UN Population Fund and the North Korean Central Statistical Office, the total fertility rate for married women (aged 15-49) in North Korea has been declining: 2.13 children per capita in 1993, 2.01 in 2008, and 1.89 in 2014.

"Until the mid-2000s, the decline in births was driven by livelihood issues, but since the 2010s, women have been avoiding childbirth for a better life, and the decline in births among urban, highly educated women has been pronounced, as they realize that they should take care of their lives and have fewer children so that they can raise them well and not be like the South”, North Korean social experts say. In both North and South Korea, the crisis of childbirth avoidance and declining birthrates is being foreshadowed.

International Women's Day, which is celebrated in North Korea as a day for women, began on March 8, 1908, when female workers in the United States protested for better working conditions and suffrage. The women's movement was born out of desperation for basic rights at a time when women's basic rights were not guaranteed.

What basic rights do women need in North Korea today? Women in Pyongyang and women in rural areas are equally guaranteed the same basic rights. It is not only in the political sphere, but also in the economic sphere, i.e. production, distribution, and consumption. We need to analyze the consumption trends of young women in Pyongyang and think of ways to support senior women consumers in rural Hamgyong Province to promote their basic consumption needs.

Trends aren't just for young women living in big cities. Sustainable efforts to improve the lives of North Korean women can also be a trend.