page_title: Jangmadang
hierarchical_section_title: Jangmadang
caption_attribution_description: English: Sinuiju Railway Station, DPRK (south-east direction)
context_page_description: Jangmadang, Korean for 'market grounds', are the North Korean farmers' markets, local markets and black markets. Since the North Korean famine, they have formed a large informal economy. Since the 1990s, the government has become more lenient towards them; however, merchants still face heavy regulations. Currently a majority of North Koreans are dependent on markets for their survival.
  The North Korean government has tried to regulate growth of the market economy in North Korea with a variety of methods. Some of them such as regulating the age of traders has caused some societal changes such as making women more responsible for earning money for their families. This has resulted in changing gender roles in North Korean society.
  There have been speculations on the possible role of black markets in causing reforms of the North Korean government and its economy, as happened in China.
context_section_description: Jangmadang (Korean: 장마당), Korean for 'market grounds', are the North Korean farmers' markets, local markets and black markets. Since the North Korean famine, they have formed a large informal economy. Since the 1990s, the government has become more lenient towards them; however, merchants still face heavy regulations. Currently a majority of North Koreans are dependent on markets for their survival.
  The North Korean government has tried to regulate growth of the market economy in North Korea with a variety of methods. Some of them such as regulating the age of traders has caused some societal changes such as making women more responsible for earning money for their families. This has resulted in changing gender roles in North Korean society.
  There have been speculations on the possible role of black markets in causing reforms of the North Korean government and its economy, as happened in China.
caption: Sinuiju is a major hub for North Korean formal and informal economy due to its proximity to the Chinese border. The Sinuiju railway station is portrayed here.
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