North Korea is currently experiencing an unlikely outbreak of fun, as the country pushes a new strategy to encourage consumer spending on state-sanctioned leisure activities. Coffee bars, waterparks, and retail therapy are becoming common sights in a nation that was once defined by extreme deprivation. This shift is part of a broader effort by leader Kim Jong Un to reshape the domestic economy, per Reuters. According to Chinese customs information, North Korea’s imports of massage equipment have surged 40-fold over the last decade, while treadmill shipments have jumped over 600%. Reuters noted that pianos and even bumper cars have been pouring into the country as part of this new consumption drive. You can see this reflected in the luxury malls, beach resorts, and ski destinations that are popping up across the country. Analysts suggest this isn’t just about giving people access to nicer things. By channeling personal spending through state-controlled networks, the government is effectively squeezing informal markets and creating new revenue streams. As Kang Seong-hyeon, a research fellow at the Seoul-based Hyundai Research Institute, noted, this strategy draws “the production, distribution, and capital flows concentrated in the markets into an official economic space managed by the state.” Controlling the flow of money Reuters reported that this leisure blitz is being bankrolled by a variety of sources, including cryptocurrency heists, coal exports, and the deployment of troops to support Russia in the war in Ukraine. According to the Seoul-based Institute for National Security Strategy, North Korea earned as much as $14.4 billion from its involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war between August 2023 and December 2025. Coffee bars. Waterparks. Retail therapy. North Korea — a country few would associate with leisure or pleasure — is experiencing an unlikely outbreak of fun. Blanch Ancla has more https://t.co/pUMrs8t1sA pic.twitter.com/tM2xd5RkoW— Reuters (@Reuters) September 11, 2026 According to Forbes, North Korea’s foreign revenues might be even higher. They estimated that since Russia invaded Ukraine four years ago, the country has earned $22 billion, which is four times what the country earned in the previous four-year period. However, they noted that a significant wealth gap is becoming more apparent. As the country stabilizes, President Trump has been making overtures to woo Kim Jong Un into rekindling their friendship. In 2025. The Korea Times first pointed out that luxury goods were circulating among affluent residents near the Chinese border. In cities like Hoeryong and Hyesan, ethnic Chinese traders were bringing in high-end items, like Chanel. These items were then openly bought by members of the wealthy class, known as donju. Meanwhile, many households in these same regions struggled to afford necessities like plastic sheeting for winter insulation. The contrast between the elite and the average citizen is stark. While Pyongyang is now awash with skyscrapers, electric cars, and modern technology, Forbes noted that 17 million of the country’s 27 million people are living in extreme poverty. For many, the monthly salary of a doctor is not even enough to buy a single kilogram of rice. Despite these struggles, the government is pushing ahead with its plan to modernize the capital. Per Reuters, state media reports indicate that at least two dozen leisure complexes, including libraries and movie theaters, are either completed or under construction nationwide. Social media footage verified by Reuters shows shops at one Pyongyang mall displaying logos for brands like Rolex, Omega, and Herbelin — though Omega and Herbelin say they have no official retailers or distributors in the country, and Rolex declined to comment. "After difficult times during the pandemic, which was accompanied by border closure, the North Korean economy appears to have grown for the last several years on the back of Ukraine war revenues & cybercrime," Marcus Noland says. https://t.co/aHLFnMeUZH— Peterson Institute (@PIIE) September 11, 2026 To facilitate this, the government has mandated the use of electronic payment apps, which analysts say also serve as a tool for official scrutiny of private spending. Reuters noted that this state-managed consumption is a clear pivot from the past, when North Koreans relied on the jangmadang, or black markets, to survive the famine of the 1990s. In fact, Kim Jong Un has reportedly been working to bring that grassroots activity back under the control of state-administered storefronts. As Ruediger Frank, a professor of East Asian economy and society at the University of Vienna, put it, “Consumption buys time. It does not buy loyalty forever.” Even with this growth, North Korea remains heavily sanctioned by the United Nations. However, per Reuters, the country’s economy grew 3.5% in 2025, marking the third consecutive year of growth above 3%, according to the South Korean central bank. With this newfound economic activity, analysts believe the country has less incentive to restart nuclear negotiations. Instead, per reports, the country has been ramping up missile production, instead. While the elite enjoy the new restaurants and gaming arcades, the broader population continues to navigate a system where, as one defector noted, many people still distrust the government and prefer to use cash rather than the state’s official digital payment systems.