The new venues are opening not only in Pyongyang but also in other cities across the country. In Sinuiju, near the border with China, a three-storey restaurant has opened; in Kanggye, customers are offered draught beer; and the opening of a restaurant in the port city of Nampo was marked with fireworks. Some of the restaurants can accommodate hundreds of guests.
Analysts note that meat has particular symbolic significance for the North Korean authorities. Among other things, it evokes former leader Kim Il Sung’s promise to provide the population with “white rice and meat soup”.
The restaurant boom is taking place alongside the expansion of other leisure facilities, including water parks, cafés and shopping centres. Researchers believe the authorities are seeking to demonstrate that signs of improving living standards extend beyond the capital.
At the same time, experts caution that the opening of expensive restaurants does not indicate broad-based economic prosperity. In their view, improved foreign economic ties, particularly with Russia, may benefit only certain groups involved in trade and construction.
According to South Korea’s central bank, North Korea’s economy grew by 3.5% in 2025, marking a third consecutive year of growth above 3%.
Meat Imports from China More Than Quadruple
Following the famine of the 1990s, when the state food distribution system effectively collapsed, private and semi-private markets began to play a major role in supplying food to the population.
Support from China and Russia later contributed to greater stability of supplies. According to UN Comtrade data, North Korea’s meat imports from China more than quadrupled between 2023 and 2025, reaching nearly $39 million.
Researchers say this trend also indicates that domestic livestock production is unable to fully meet existing demand.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has repeatedly called for an increase in domestic livestock production. However, the country’s food situation remains difficult. According to the UN World Food Programme, 10.7 million people, or more than 40% of North Korea’s population, were undernourished in 2022.
Former North Korean residents also note that beef has traditionally been difficult to obtain because cattle were mainly used as draught animals in agriculture. Critics therefore believe that access to the new high-end restaurants is likely to remain limited for most of the population.
PigUA.info, based on materials from Reuters