How do North Korean awards hit the market?

[Esteban_cool]

Originally Posted by medals73

... it seems to be given out very freely (for such a senior order).

The awarding criteria for this order is so broad that you can get it for anyting, and I mean anything, from courage shown in the face of the imperialist enemy to outstanding work quotas (let´s say, 2-3 pounds a week given the actual situation:weird) in extracting turnips.

[medals73]

Originally Posted by Esteban_cool

The awarding criteria for this order is so broad that you can get it for anyting, and I mean anything, from courage shown in the face of the imperialist enemy to outstanding work quotas (let´s say, 2-3 pounds a week given the actual situation:weird) in extracting turnips.

True. Producing turnips is fighting the imperialist enemies.

:D

The real question remains (as given in the topic here): How do they get out? Answering that may require more knowledge of the DPRK than any of us will ever have.

[Esteban_cool]

Back in another post I mentioned refugees and fishermen. Now, in Asia is quite known that both of them do smuggle quite large amounts of stuff everywhere (This happens especially at fluvial markets). When I lived in Japan they broadcasted lots of documentaries where they tried to permeate the north korean borders (frontiers, ideological, cultural, and so on) and it was quite hard, but not impossible. They also showed flea markets in chinese towns near to the NK border with tons of books, posters, watches, pottery... and people available. Some of those items were transported by the fishermen, met their chinese counterparts at the Yalu River and swiftly exchanged the goods by trinkets, food, watches, movies, etc., other goods were hidden inside bags, sacks, fish boxes, clothing... They did not say anything about bribing the border guards, but they did mention that lots of them defect each month -and unfortunately- most of them were shot by their own comrades to get an extra rise in their pitiful salaries. The ones who survive exchange their stuff as soon as they can to the chinese dealers.
Refugees who make it to Japan through chinese smugglers also share part of the black market, and they do get a good profit there.

But I got the gut feeling that most of the stuff in China are, if not fakes, stuff given to korean war veterans.