North Korea Arrest Three Merchants for Selling Memory Cards
- RFA
Since many of the people selling goods in North Korea’s marketplaces deal in smuggled items, residents are fearful that a crackdown stemming from the recent arrests could harm their livelihoods, or deny their access to foreign media and goods that North Korea itself does not produce.
“The police arrested the merchants and will try to catch the real culprit who brought in the memory cards,” the resident said.
“This incident could reveal the full picture of a major smuggling case, so the market merchants are very anxious, and the residents are as well.”
Another fear is that Hyesan could be put on lockdown during a potential investigation, she said.
“A stronger crackdown on the marketplaces will happen, and it will make the people’s lives more difficult,”
Because smuggling has been difficult in recent years, memory cards are hard to find in marketplaces these days.
“Until 2019, when smuggling was still possible, a 16GB memory card was 80 yuan (US$11), and an 8GB memory card was 40 yuan ($5.50) in the marketplace,” he explained.
“The merchants recently arrested by the state security department were selling 16GB memory cards for 100 yuan ($14)”
That’s a significant markup from the price across the border in China, where 10 yuan ($1.40) can buy a 16GB card.
The second resident explained that even people without computers want SD cards to store photos and documents.
“The smugglers like to take the risk to bring these memory cards into the country because they don’t take up a lot of space and they can make 10 times as much in profit,” he said.
Mantan Menteri Pertanian China Dijatuhi Hukuman Mati karena Terima Suap Rp628 Miliar
Tang Renjian dijatuhi hukuman mati dengan masa percobaan dua tahun karena menerima suap senilai 268 juta yuan (sekitar Rp628 miliar).
