Listened to this article in this week’s The Economist about the recent Pyongyang Spring International Trade Fair, which was held on May 12th-15th.

Originally designed to promote business-to-business contacts, the trade fair, along with a companion event in the autumn, has become one of the few opportunities for North Koreans—or, more accurately, a few thousand residents of the capital—to buy, or gawk at, foreign merchandise. More than 100 Chinese companies, together with some from Taiwan, Indonesia, Britain and North Korea itself, offered up everything from T-shirts to heavy machinery. Cutting-edge technology it wasn’t. Duvets, refrigerators, flat-screen televisions, DVD players, cooking pots and cosmetics were the most popular items. More than 15 units of one of the show’s most expensive items, a $1,200 refrigerator from Haier, a Chinese company, were snapped up. Counterfeit iPods were also popular, even if downloading is illegal.

Sureal. Wondering how they pay for all that stuff? Well, the article mentions that in addition to the counterfeit U.S. currency the writer saw being used, and those who get dough from rich relatives in other countries, that a lot of North Koreans get their surplus in the same way most people around the world do — good ol’ foreign trade.

The article ends with this:

A billboard at the entrance trumpeted the slogan “Building an Independent National Economy” and included numerous photographs of Kim Jong Il and his father inspecting farms and factories, a reminder to visitors of the all-embracing love and compassion of the Kim family. As the shopfest ended, however, some North Koreans refused to leave, demanding that the event’s organiser allow them to continue their buying spree. The dear leader’s love apparently wasn’t enough.

You can listen to the audio version of the story here. Or, you can read the online version here. Two sources. That’s my live.

(Above photo taken from China-embassy.org)