Rehumanizing Through Art: A Glimpse Inside a North Korean Street Market
The People’s Museum of North Korea tells the stories that media doesn’t.
The “People’s Museum of North Korea” is located in Stackt Market // Photo By: Arthur Dennyson Hamdani, THE UNDERGROUND
Political tensions, nuclear weapons, and a leader with a distinguishable haircut. These are the main things people think about when they hear about North Korea. Regarded as one of the world’s most isolated countries, most media attention is limited to the country’s leader and politics. It’s very rare that we hear stories about the people of North Korea and their lives under a dictatorship.
The human rights group, HanVoice, shares a glimpse into North Korean life at downtown Toronto’s Stackt Market. The exhibition, titled People’s Museum of North Korea, centres around an immersive experience where visitors learn about daily life in North Korea.
In July 2022, HanVoice launched its first exhibition, a curation replicating a North Korean living room. According to HanVoice, they reached 4,000 visitors and 2.3 million social media users in less than four weeks. Following its success, this year, the art exhibit returns with a new curation and is an official feature at Toronto’s annual all-night art festival, Nuit Blanche.
Visitors find themselves centred in a North Korean street market // Photo By: Arthur Dennyson Hamdani, THE UNDERGROUND
A view of the different stalls in the exhibit // Photo By: Arthur Dennyson Hamdani, THE UNDERGROUND
Vendors in the jangmadang sold day-to-day items, such as footwear. // Photo By: Arthur Dennyson Hamdani, THE UNDERGROUND
The Exhibition
Running from September 23 to October 22, the People’s Museum of North Korea allows visitors to walk into North Korea’s street market, also known as jangmadang (장마당), in which they are greeted by historical blurbs describing the significance of this part of North Korean society. After a short historical lesson, visitors find themselves at the centre of the market, window shopping North Korean goods. HanVoice places artificial fruits, vegetables, and fish to mimic a vendor’s stall. However, the farther one goes into the market, the more extraordinary the stalls become. From replicas of cosmetic products, and bootleg Western films to authentic North Korean soldier uniforms, textbooks, and cigarette boxes, visitors find themselves looking at items only found in North Korea.
The exhibit included textbooks that could be found in North Korean schools. // Photo By: Arthur Dennyson Hamdani, THE UNDERGROUND
In a North Korean salon, both men and women have to choose from a list of state-approved hair styles. // Photo By: Arthur Dennyson Hamdani, THE UNDERGROUND
An authentic artifact of a North Korean soldier uniform. // Photo By: Arthur Dennyson Hamdani, THE UNDERGROUND
Kang Chun-hyok (강춘혁), a North Korean refugee artist, came to draw a large illustration depicting his memories of jangmadang as part of the exhibit’s opening reception at Nuit Blanche. This artwork is located near the end of the exhibit beside a gift shop that sells prints of another North Korean artist, Sun Mu, and the museum’s merchandise, such as t-shirts, hoodies, and tote bags.
Kang Chun-hyok's painting located at the end of the exhibit. // Photo By: Arthur Dennyson Hamdani, THE UNDERGROUND
The exhibit's gift shop sells diverse types of merchandise. // Photo By: Arthur Dennyson Hamdani, THE UNDERGROUND
A Symbol of North Koreans’ Resilience
Shifting from last year’s exhibit of a North Korean house, HanVoice shifted to the Jangmadang to highlight its significance in North Korean life. Famine is no stranger to the country since its creation in 1948. The upper peninsula has always struggled to grow crops due to its cooler climate and mountainous geography. To provide its people with goods and nourishment, North Korea implemented the Public Distribution System. However, this distribution favoured those in power over those in need. The situation continued to worsen in the mid-1990s when floods destroyed farmlands. Alongside North Korea’s heavy investment in military support, this period became known as the Arduous March.
With decreasing food rations, North Koreans sought alternative ways to survive in the form of unofficial marketplaces, also known as “grey markets”. These marketplaces became spaces where people could trade goods and services to make ends meet. Unlike men, who are often tied to military or governmental roles, women have fewer societal responsibilities outside of the household. However, due to the dire desperation of the famine, women also searched for ways to help support themselves and their families. Women found themselves in a position where they were able to earn an income and financially contribute to the household, which altered the traditional family dynamic. Hence, the birth of Jangmadang.
The government recognized the market’s economic potential and began regulating it. Vendors continue to sell legal goods, such as vegetables, fruits, and cigarettes, and not-so-legal goods, such as bootleg DVDs of Western films and jailbroken electronic devices. Regardless of soldier guards regulating these stalls, business continues to run normally. Today, jangmadang is a place where people can build up their wealth. According to HanVoice, as of November 2022, there are 414 grey markets operating across North Korea.
Authentic North Korean cigarettes exhibited as artifacts. // Photo By: Arthur Dennyson Hamdani, THE UNDERGROUND
A display of artificial fruits, vegetables, and fish to replicate the jangmadang. // Photo By: Arthur Dennyson Hamdani, THE UNDERGROUND
Replicas of bootleg Western film DVDs. // Photo By: Arthur Dennyson Hamdani, THE UNDERGROUND
Giving North Korean People Their Voice
“We want to shed light on the people and their experiences, not on the politics and leader,” said Henah Yoo, HanVoice’s project coordinator and museum lead.
After attending to visitors nearly every day from 9 am to 11 pm, Yoo says that there have been about 3000 curious visitors since the exhibit’s launch. The Jangmadang symbolizes the defiance and resilience of the North Korean people. In contrast with the media’s hyperfocus on North Korea’s politics and leader, Yoo adds, “This exhibition is a way to give the people of North Korea their voices and [a place to] tell their stories.”
Henah Yoo is HanVoice's project coordinator and museum lead. // Photo By: Arthur Dennyson Hamdani, THE UNDERGROUND
HanVoice is a Canadian human rights organization that focuses on resettling North Korean escapees. In October 2021, HanVoice partnered with the Canadian government to launch the world’s first pilot program allowing Canadians to privately sponsor North Korean refugees. Currently, the organization is focusing on resettling five families.
North Korean escapees usually rely on brokers to guide them to safehouses in Thailand via maritime transport before finally resettling in South Korea. They cannot go through the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the North and the South, as it is a very dangerous area. Additionally, escaping to China is considered a risky option due to its heavy military presence.
“Giving North Koreans an option of where to go is a form of empowerment, instead of being stuck with one option,” Yoo says.
A Potential Future for North Koreans in Canada
HanVoice invites visitors to write encouraging messages for North Korean escapees. // Photo By: Arthur Dennyson Hamdani, THE UNDERGROUND
“There are about 1000 North Koreans already living in Canada, but they are afraid to identify [themselves],” Yoo says.
HanVoice continues to empower North Koreans by telling their stories while also supporting their journeys. On October 25, in partnership with the Toronto International Film Festival, the exhibit will conclude with the Canadian premiere of Beyond Utopia—a documentary narrating various families’ journeys in escaping North Korea.
Before leaving the exhibit, visitors can also write encouraging and welcoming messages on postcards, which HanVoice will gift to the escapees once they arrive. Visitors can choose from three postcards, each printed with a motivational quote in Korean. I asked Yoo which of them is her favourite. She pointed to a quote, “멈추지 말고 계속 해나가기만 한다면 늦어도 상관없다,” to which she translated, “Don’t stop. Keep going. It’s okay to be late.”
Find out more about HanVoice through their Instagram (@hanvoicecanada) and website (https://hanvoice.ca/).
Check out their report from their exhibition in 2022 here. Special thanks to Henah Yoo and HanVoice for this opportunity!
