The rise in black market activity in North Korea led to the millennials of the nation being dubbed the ‘Jangmadang (장마당)’ generation, named after the Korean term meaning ‘market grounds’. Initially, these markets consisted of disorganized traders meeting in fields, facing seizure from police if they did not come up with a bribe.
Today, the jangmadang practice has led to fully-fledged markets, complete with stalls selling street food, smuggled electronics, ingredients, and clothes; certain markets allegedly grew to encompass upwards of a thousand stalls.
Today, the markets remain a crucial element of survival for many North Koreans, with some reports estimating that around 5 million (around a fifth of the overall population) are “directly or indirectly dependent on the markets”.
Source