Pet shop in Pyongyang sparks anger and envy among North Korea’s provincial poor
North Koreans outside Pyongyang are reacting with resentment and disbelief after state media broadcast footage of Kim Jong Un and his daughter, Ju Ae, touring a pet shop at the newly opened Hwasong District Phase 4 service complex in the capital. Many provincial North Koreans say the luxury facility
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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
North Koreans outside Pyongyang are reacting with resentment and disbelief after state media broadcast footage of Kim Jong Un and his daughter, Ju Ae, touring a pet shop at the newly opened Hwasong District Phase 4 service complex in the capital. Many provincial North Koreans say the luxury facility is worlds apart from their daily struggle to afford food.
A Daily NK source in North Hamgyong province — one of North Korea’s northernmost and most economically marginalized provinces — reported on April 10 that the broadcast had set off heated conversations in Hoeryong city. “These days, people in Hoeryong are all talking about pet animals,” the source said. The reaction followed televised coverage of Kim Jong Un and central partyofficials touring the Hwasong District facilities ahead of their opening.
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.
“Dogs and cats? We can barely eat”
Reaction to the broadcast was sharply divided. Those who responded negatively focused on footage of Ju Ae stroking a cat and on references to “veterinary medicine production.” They viewed the scenes as emblematic of a life entirely out of reach. “We can barely feed ourselves — who has the luxury to worry about dogs and cats?” one person said. “There aren’t even enough medicines for people, let alone pets,” said another. A third remarked that “only wealthy families” could afford such things.
Even owning a pet remains a privilege 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.
The current economic context sharpened those reactions. Food prices 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.
Pyongyang as a ‘different world’
The disparity between Pyongyang and the provinces emerged as a recurring theme. “Pyongyang feels like a different world from where we live,” one person said. Another noted that while Pyongyang’s 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. “It sounds like a story from another country entirely,” the source said.
“Provincial people have long felt the gap in living standards between themselves and Pyongyang,” the source said. “Recently, word has come back from people who visited the capital that conditions there keep improving. Meanwhile, life in the provinces only gets harder.”
Mixed reactions in Hamhung
Reactions in Hamhung, the capital of South Hamgyong province, followed a similar pattern, according to a second Daily NK source. “These days, the Hwasong District service facilities are a major topic of conversation,” the source said, adding that responses varied by individual circumstance.
Some expressed genuine interest or aspiration. “If I ever get to Pyongyang, I’d want to visit the Hwasong District hair salon,” one person said. Others wanted to try the instruments reportedly on display at a music facility. But skepticism was equally evident. “It’s just something we can look at but never touch,” said one person. “In the end, it’s a place built for people who are already well-off,” said another.
Not all reactions were negative. Some viewers expressed national pride and amazement at what they saw. “It seems like our country is developing, just like other countries,” one person said. Others noted that scenes of people taking dogs to veterinary clinics had previously seemed like something from foreign films. “Pyongyang looks no different from a foreign country now,” one person remarked.
“Provincial people want comfortable lives too,” the source said. “But 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.”
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