Economy of North Korea
Estimating gross national product in North Korea is a difficult task because of a dearth of economic data and the problem of choosing an appropriate rate of exchange for the North Korean won, the nonconvertible North Korean currency. The South Korean government's estimate placed North Korea's GNP in 1991 at US$22.9 billion, or US$1,038 per capita. In contrast, South Korea posted US$237.9 billion of GNP and a per capita income of US$5,569 in 1991. North Korea's GNP in 1991 showed a 5.2% decline from 1989, and preliminary indications were that the decline would continue. South Korea's GNP, by contrast, expanded by 9.3% and 8.4%, respectively, in 1990 and 1991.
Tongil Market
The market is busy with customers. Prices are in North Korean won and haggling is commonplace. Some prices on par with those in Chinese markets, with vegetables being somewhat more expensive but seafood and clothes generally cheaper. The prices are, however, not particularly cheap in relation to average incomes of North Koreans. For instance, spinach costs 1,000 won at the Tongil Market, fifty times as much as its 20-won price tag at rural markets in North Korea. Because the market is well-stocked, it has been suspected of being a "showpiece", but in fact its wares are comparable to other markets in the country. Its customer base is, however, mainly foreign vistors and domestic elites. The market is open to foreign vistors, and many embassies in Pyongyang use it for shopping. Photography is not allowed. One foreigner, Pamela Bryant, a visiting professor at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology relates how one of her faculty members broke the rule resulting in the entire faculty being banned from the market for three months.