Young North Koreans spend big on electric bikes and smartphones
Electric bicycles and smartphones are expensive in North Korea, but high prices have not stymied the popularity of these items among the country’s youth.
“These items are really popular among young people in major North Korean cities like Chongjin,” a source in North Hamgyong Province told Daily NK on June 3. “People even starve themselves to save enough money to buy them.”
Electric bicycles and smartphones are reportedly popular in major cities like Pyongyang.
Electric bicycles allow young entrepreneurs to quickly transport goods from one place to another, while smartphones provide a way to communicate and conduct digital money transfers.
Young North Koreans seem to compete with each other to buy the latest version of these products. They are not put off by the expensive prices, the source said.
An electric bike, for example, goes for 3,000 to 4,000 yuan, or 34,000 to 45,000 North Korean won. ......
[Source: Daily NK]
