Jangmadang

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Jangmadang (lit. 'market grounds'; Korean: 장마당; Hanja: 場마당) are North Korean local markets, farmers' markets, black markets and bazaars. Since the North Korean famine in the 1990s, they have formed a large informal economy, and the government has become more lenient towards them. However, merchants still face heavy regulations. A majority of North Koreans have become dependent on jangmadang for their survival.

The North Korean government has tried to regulate the growth of the market economy in North Korea using a variety of methods. Some of them, such as regulating the age of traders, has resulted in societal changes such as making women more responsible for earning money for their families. This has caused changes to gender roles in North Korean society.

There have been speculations on the possible role of black markets in reforming the North Korean government and its economy, as has happened in China.^[1]