How North Korean police corruption became essential to the growth of markets



Columns How North Korean police corruption became essential to the growth of markets Businesspeople pay bribes to police in order to create the space necessary for them to buy, sell and trade their wares Andrei Lankov July 21, 2022 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON A North Korean policeman directs traffic in Pyongyang in Sept. 2015 \| Image: NK News Nearly every kind of economic activity regularly encountered in North Korea is, strictly speaking, illegal. But as everybody with some exposure to DPRK life knows, private economic activity is a considerable force in the country. This creates an unusual situation. When police patrol the marketplace, they could justifiably arrest every single person they see. Nearly every kind of economic activity regularly encountered in North Korea is, strictly speaking, illegal. But as everybody with some exposure to DPRK life knows, private economic activity is a considerable force in the country. This creates an unusual situation. When police patrol the marketplace, they could justifiably arrest every single person they see. Become a member for less than $5.75 per week. Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis 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 Korean police corruption became essential to the growth of markets

Businesspeople pay bribes to police in order to create the space necessary for them to buy, sell and trade their wares

Andrei Lankov July 21, 2022

How North Korean police corruption became essential to the growth of markets

A North Korean policeman directs traffic in Pyongyang in Sept. 2015 | Image: NK News

Nearly every kind of economic activity regularly encountered in North Korea is, strictly speaking, illegal. But as everybody with some exposure to DPRK life knows, private economic activity is a considerable force in the country.

This creates an unusual situation. When police patrol the marketplace, they could justifiably arrest every single person they see.

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Andrei Lankov

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