North Korean street food finds market across the border in China

Ethnic Chinese residents of North Korea are carrying Chongjin-made soy meat and fried tofu across the border into China and selling them there, turning two of the country’s most recognizable street foods into a modest cross-border export trade.

A Daily NK source in North Hamgyong province said Thursday that ethnic Chinese traders living in North Korea have been buying up soy meat products known locally as “Chongjin soy meat” and fried tofu used to make tofu rice, then taking them into China for resale. Food vendors who sell these staples have seen business pick up sharply as a result.

“The ethnic Chinese traders have been placing large orders with vendors who sell soy meat rice and tofu rice,” the source said. “Those vendors are busier than they’ve been in a long time.”

Soy meat is a processed food made from defatted soybean meal, the residue left after extracting soybean oil. It became widely consumed during the mass famine of the 1990s as a substitute for meat and remains a fixture of North Korean street food culture today. The variety produced in Chongjin has a notably chewy texture that has earned it a distinct reputation among North Korean people, who refer to it specifically as “Chongjin soy meat.”

Tofu rice is another common street food. Vendors deep-fry blocks of tofu, hollow them out, and stuff them with seasoned rice before serving. The fried tofu used to make this dish is now crossing the border alongside Chongjin soy meat through ethnic Chinese intermediaries.

A new export channel for street food staples

The trade has been a welcome boost for food vendors who had been struggling. Street food sales had weakened in recent years, and the sudden arrival of bulk orders from ethnic Chinese traders has provided a meaningful lift.

“The vendors who got orders can’t even come out to sell on some days because they’re too busy filling them,” the source said. “And on those days, the vendors who didn’t get orders actually sell out faster than usual because there’s less competition.”

The products are reportedly sold in parts of Jilin province and Liaoning province in China. Chinese traders who specialize in North Korean food products, as well as North Korean defectors living in China, are said to be the main customers. According to a China-based source familiar with North Korea trade, the imported goods are sold both online and through physical shops.

“There’s a perception that soy meat and fried tofu from North Korea taste richer and better than what’s available in China,” the source said. “That’s what’s driving the steady demand.”

Within North Korea, orders have so far concentrated among vendors with established reputations for quality and hygiene, leaving others scrambling to find their own ethnic Chinese contacts. The source noted that vendors who miss out on orders are actively trying to build relationships with ethnic Chinese traders to get a share of the business.

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