North Korea’s glossy new surface: Apps, beaches and a fake Starbucks

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A photo provided by a Chinese student shows an order at a cafe called Mirai Reserve in Pyongyang, North Korea. The shop is allegedly a copy of Starbucks’ premium brand, Starbucks Reserve.

PHOTO: NYTIMES

Jiawei Wang, Choe Sang-Hun

SEOUL – North Korea is taking inspiration from the West. In Pyongyang, elites drink coffee at a fake Starbucks and pay by mobile phone. About 100 miles away on the east coast, a seaside resort that’s a pet project of the country’s leader Kim Jong Un, is stocked with foreign beers and decked out with water slides, ready to receive tourists.

To blunt the impact of international sanctions and bring in cash, North Korea is creating the look of prosperity by imitating its capitalist enemies.

The New York Times obtained footage from three recent visitors to the country: a Russian tourist, a Swedish marathon runner and a Chinese student. While the foreigners had North Korean chaperones and were not allowed to film construction sites and military personnel, they provided a rare glimpse into how Mr Kim’s modernisation plans are nurturing a new culture of consumerism in one of the world’s most isolated and authoritarian countries. The goods they encountered are out of reach for most North Koreans, who earn, on average, a little more than US$1,000 (S$1,280) a year, according to South Korea.

The student from China who is taking language classes in Pyongyang said he initially thought the country would be backward. “I was worried about not having enough food or warm clothes,” he said. “But when I