What are jangmadang, and how do North Koreans make a living?

Jangmadang, which means market grounds, are North Korea's local markets, farmers' markets, black markets and bazaars. Since the famine of the 1990s they have formed a large informal economy, and most North Koreans now depend on them for survival. That is how many people make a living.

It began in necessity. As a result of the 1994 to 1998 famine, rations were reduced drastically, and citizens were forced to secure food and other necessities through different means. They farmed land deemed unusable by the government, and small kitchen gardens, and these illegal private farms produced crop yields larger than the public agriculture programs. After the collapse of the public distribution system, the government had no choice but to tolerate private markets.

The numbers show how large the market economy is. Between a half and three-quarters of North Koreans' income comes from market activities. While the actual monthly salary was two US dollars, an average North Korean earned around 15 dollars a month in 2011. In 2017 the Korea Institute for National Unification estimated there were 440 government-approved markets employing about 1.1 million people.

The state has not always been comfortable with this. In late 2009 North Korea revalued its currency, effectively confiscating all privately held money above the equivalent of US$35 per person and wiping out the savings of many North Koreans. In 2019 the authorities moved to curb individual economic activity, followed by greater crackdowns in 2021, creating a decline in markets.