How North Korea eyelashes make their way to West, Japan, South Korea as ‘made in China’
- Reuters spoke to 20 people who described a system in which China-based firms import semi-finished products from North Korea
- This gives Kim Jong-un’s regime a way to skirt international sanctions, providing a vital source of foreign currency
Reuters spoke to 20 people – including 15 in the eyelash industry, as well as trade lawyers and experts on North Korea’s economy – who described a system in which China-based firms import semi-finished products from North Korea, which are then completed and packaged as Chinese.
The finished eyelashes are then exported to markets including the West, Japan and South Korea, according to eight people who work for companies directly involved in the trade.
Some of the people spoke on condition that only their last names be used because they were not authorised to talk to the media.
North Korea has long been a major exporter of hair products like wigs and false lashes, which enable people to avoid the hassle of mascara and to achieve a dramatic look. But exports tumbled during the Covid-19 pandemic, when North Korea slammed its borders tightly shut.
We have to assume that … millions of dollars every month that North Korea is making through this eyelash trade is being used for the Kim Jong-un regime
Significant trade in North Korea-made lashes via China resumed in 2023, according to customs documents and four people in the industry.