How North Korea tried and failed to boost consumption of the other white meat



Columns How North Korea tried and failed to boost consumption of the other white meat The regime heralded a future of ‘silk clothes’ and ‘meat soup’ through mass pig farms, a vision that never came to pass Andrei Lankov April 12, 2022 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON A giant pig dummy displayed at the Arirang mass games in Pyongyang, Sept. 2008 \| Image: NK News (file) North Korea has never been a nation of meat eaters, even considering an increase in consumption under Kim Jong Un, but that does not mean the country’s people do not like meat. On the contrary, meat has always been a desirable and prestigious delicacy in the DPRK, as it is throughout East Asia. The problem has always been that high population density has required the use of nearly all available flat land for rice paddy fields, since an acre of agricultural land produces roughly ten times the calories of an acre of pasture. North Korea has never been a nation of meat eaters, even considering an increase in consumption under Kim Jong Un, but that does not mean the country’s people do not like meat. On the contrary, meat has always been a desirable and prestigious delicacy in the DPRK, as it is throughout East Asia. The problem has always been that high population density has required the use of nearly all available flat land for rice paddy fields, since an acre of agricultural land produces roughly ten times the calories of an acre of pasture. Try unlimited access Only $1 for four weeks Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis Year-one discount if you continue past $1 trial period The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

Columns

How North Korea tried and failed to boost consumption of the other white meat

The regime heralded a future of ‘silk clothes’ and ‘meat soup’ through mass pig farms, a vision that never came to pass

Andrei Lankov April 12, 2022

How North Korea tried and failed to boost consumption of the other white meat

A giant pig dummy displayed at the Arirang mass games in Pyongyang, Sept. 2008 | Image: NK News (file)

North Korea has never been a nation of meat eaters, even considering an increase in consumption under Kim Jong Un, but that does not mean the country’s people do not like meat. On the contrary, meat has always been a desirable and prestigious delicacy in the DPRK, as it is throughout East Asia.

The problem has always been that high population density has required the use of nearly all available flat land for rice paddy fields, since an acre of agricultural land produces roughly ten times the calories of an acre of pasture.