{"id":5525,"date":"2026-05-06T12:14:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T12:14:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/5525\/"},"modified":"2026-05-06T12:14:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T12:14:35","slug":"north-koreans-react-to-kim-jong-uns-pet-shop-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/5525\/","title":{"rendered":"North Koreans react to Kim Jong Un’s pet shop tour"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Kim<\/a>Kim Jong Un and his daughter Ju Ae inspect a pet shop at the Hwasong District Phase 4 service complex in Pyongyang ahead of its opening, April 3, 2026. Photo: Rodong Sinmun\/News1<\/p>\n

North Koreans outside Pyongyang<\/a> are reacting with resentment and disbelief after state media<\/a> broadcast footage of Kim Jong Un<\/a> and his daughter<\/a>, Ju Ae, touring a pet shop at the newly opened Hwasong<\/a> District Phase 4 service complex in the capital. Many provincial North Koreans say the luxury<\/a> facility is worlds apart from their daily struggle to afford food<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A Daily NK source in North Hamgyong province \u2014 one of North Korea\u2019s northernmost and most economically marginalized provinces<\/a> \u2014 reported on April 10 that the broadcast had set off heated conversations in Hoeryong<\/a> city. \u201cThese days, people in Hoeryong are all talking about pet animals,\u201d the source said. The reaction followed televised coverage of Kim Jong Un and central party<\/a> officials<\/a> touring the Hwasong District facilities ahead of their opening.<\/p>\n

North Korean state media reported that Kim inspected the operational readiness of multiple service facilities in the Phase 4 zone. The broadcast reached the general public through state television. Of all the facilities shown, the pet shop drew the most attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cDogs and cats? We can barely eat\u201d<\/p>\n

Reaction to the broadcast was sharply divided. Those who responded negatively focused on footage of Ju Ae stroking a cat and on references to \u201cveterinary medicine<\/a> production.\u201d They viewed the scenes as emblematic of a life entirely out of reach. \u201cWe can barely feed ourselves \u2014 who has the luxury to worry about dogs<\/a> and cats?\u201d one person said. \u201cThere aren\u2019t even enough medicines for people, let alone pets,\u201d said another. A third remarked that \u201conly wealthy<\/a> families\u201d could afford such things.<\/p>\n

Even owning a pet remains a privilege<\/a> for better-off households in provincial areas. For the majority of North Koreans struggling to meet basic needs, keeping a pet is an extravagance. The broadcast provoked a sense of alienation among many viewers.<\/p>\n

The current economic context sharpened those reactions. Food prices<\/a> and general consumer prices have reportedly risen to record highs in recent months. Vulnerable groups are bearing the brunt. Against that backdrop, a state-of-the-art pet shop in Pyongyang struck many provincial viewers as painfully disconnected from their own lives.<\/p>\n

\nPyongyang as a \u2018different world\u2019\n<\/p>\n

The disparity between Pyongyang and the provinces emerged as a recurring theme. \u201cPyongyang feels like a different world from where we live,\u201d one person said. Another noted that while Pyongyang\u2019s people were apparently thinking about feeding and getting veterinary care for their pets, people in the provinces were focused solely on earning enough to survive. \u201cIt sounds like a story from another country entirely,\u201d the source said.<\/p>\n

\u201cProvincial people have long felt the gap in living standards between themselves and Pyongyang,\u201d the source said. \u201cRecently, word has come back from people who visited the capital that conditions there keep improving. Meanwhile, life in the provinces only gets harder.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mixed reactions in Hamhung<\/p>\n

Reactions in Hamhung<\/a>, the capital of South Hamgyong province, followed a similar pattern, according to a second Daily NK source. \u201cThese days, the Hwasong District service facilities are a major topic of conversation,\u201d the source said, adding that responses varied by individual circumstance.<\/p>\n

Some expressed genuine interest or aspiration. \u201cIf I ever get to Pyongyang, I\u2019d want to visit the Hwasong District hair<\/a> salon,\u201d one person said. Others wanted to try the instruments reportedly on display at a music<\/a> facility. But skepticism was equally evident. \u201cIt\u2019s just something we can look at but never touch,\u201d said one person. \u201cIn the end, it\u2019s a place built for people who are already well-off,\u201d said another.<\/p>\n

Not all reactions were negative. Some viewers expressed national pride and amazement at what they saw. \u201cIt seems like our country is developing, just like other countries,\u201d one person said. Others noted that scenes of people taking dogs to veterinary clinics had previously seemed like something from foreign films. \u201cPyongyang looks no different from a foreign country now,\u201d one person remarked.<\/p>\n

\u201cProvincial people want comfortable lives too,\u201d the source said. \u201cBut when basic food needs go unmet, facilities like those in the Hwasong District can only be seen as places that have nothing to do with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read in Korean<\/a><\/p>\n

Reporting from inside North Korea<\/p>\n

\n Daily NK operates networks of sources inside North Korea who document events in real-time and transmit information<\/a> through secure channels. Unlike reporting based on state media, satellite<\/a> imagery, or defector<\/a> accounts from years past, our journalism comes directly from people currently living under the regime. We verify reports through multiple independent sources and cross-reference details before publication.\n <\/p>\n

\n Our sources remain anonymous because contact with foreign media is treated as a capital offense in North Korea \u2014 discovery means imprisonment or execution. This network-based approach allows Daily NK to report<\/a> on developments other outlets cannot access: market<\/a> trends, policy implementation, public sentiment, and daily realities that never appear in official narratives.\n <\/p>\n

\n Maintaining these secure communication channels and protecting source identities requires specialized protocols and constant vigilance. Daily NK serves as a bridge<\/a> between North Koreans and the outside world, documenting what\u2019s happening inside one of the world\u2019s most closed societies.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kim Jong Un and his daughter Ju Ae inspect a pet shop at the Hwasong District Phase 4…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5526,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[2593,4609,4606,141,2371,451,4610,4607,453,129,4608],"class_list":{"0":"post-5525","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pyongyang","8":"tag-food-shortages","9":"tag-hamhung","10":"tag-hoeryong","11":"tag-kim-jong-un","12":"tag-kim-yo-jong","13":"tag-markets","14":"tag-north-hamgyong-province","15":"tag-poverty","16":"tag-propaganda","17":"tag-pyongyang","18":"tag-south-hamgyong-province"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5525"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5525\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}