NORTH Korea has spectacularly mocked UN sanctions – by opening a John Lewis-style shop flogging Western brands like Rolex, Adidas and Nike. High-end brand perfumes and jewellery also line the shelves at Daesong Department Store in Pyongyang.
Photos from inside appear to show that watch makes like Rolex, Tissot and Omega, sports brands like Adidas and Nike, and perfumes like Chanel are on sale. The UN Security Council imposed increasingly tough sanctions on North Korea in response to its nuclear bomb and ballistic missile tests.
These restrictions are designed to cut off all North Korean exports, 90% of its trade, and disband its pool of workers send abroad to earn hard currency. North Korea expert Markus Bell, of the University of Sheffield, asked how the Kim regime reconciled its politics with the pricey brands on offer.
He said: “The Daesong Department Store offers a significant quantity of goods that are under UN sanctions. “Luxury items displayed during the store’s opening suggest that there continue to be holes in the international community’s efforts to economically strangle North Korea. Domestically, such goods are far out of the reach of the majority of North Korean citizens. But elite North Koreans I’ve worked with over the years – individuals with Workers Party of Korea (KWP) membership or with family connections in Japan – reported shopping in such places. “Ordinary citizens would be unlikely to even visit such high end department stores.” Other brands on sale at the Daesong Department Store include Sony, Siemens and Panasonic, according to reports.
