While North Korea promotes its premium food products as “achievements of our technology,” the packaging and label designs for these items are being outsourced to specialized firms in China.
A Daily NK source in North Pyongan province said recently that “the packaging and label designs for sophisticated-looking products like ramen, tea, and ginseng displayed in Sinuiju department stores and state-owned shops are all custom-ordered through specialized companies located in China’s Liaoning province.”
The source explained that due to poor domestic power conditions making printing difficult, inferior quality, and a lack of sophisticated design capabilities, some trading companies are accepting requests from factories and outsourcing packaging and label design to Chinese firms.
According to the source, while such outsourcing was previously limited mainly to pharmaceutical and health supplement packaging and label designs, it has recently expanded to include food products and daily necessities. North Korean authorities appear to be accepting this practice as a means to “strengthen product competitiveness.”
Photos obtained through the source show a ramen product called “Spicy Chicken Flavored Fried Noodles,” produced by the Kyonghung Milky Way Food Factory and released in early this month at state-owned shops in Sinuiju City, wrapped in packaging reminiscent of South Korean company Samyang Food’s hit product “Buldak Bokkeum Myun” (Hot Chicken Flavor Ramen).
Additionally, the source explained that Tieguanyin tea produced by the Kangryong Unjong Tea Cultivation Factory has been released with label designs imitating Chinese premium tea brands and is now being sold at department stores and state-owned shop counters.
“Factories receive packaging and label designs produced by Chinese companies in Liaoning province through trading companies and use them to seal their products,” the source said. “While they’re actually made in China, they’re reported to higher authorities as industrial designs developed by the factories themselves.”
This reporting of Chinese-made packaging and label designs as domestic achievements clearly illustrates the gap between the self-reliance policy emphasized by North Korean authorities and the reality on the ground.
Meanwhile, residents of Sinuiju who have already been exposed to various foreign products are reportedly criticizing North Korean goods for focusing only on external changes rather than quality improvements.
Sinuiju residents are said to be offering cold assessments, saying the products are “just glossier on the outside.” There are significant complaints that while the packaging has become more impressive, the contents remain largely unchanged in both quality and quantity.
“People here are saying things like ‘only the packaging has changed, the inside is the same,’” the source said. “There are also cynical reactions that using Chinese-made designs while claiming ‘our products are the best’ is ultimately just for show.”
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