Rising oil prices send ordinary North Koreans into survival mode
iStock/LYagovy
When I escaped from North Korea and came to South Korea in May 2023, I had no way of knowing when or how deeply the place I had lived my entire life would next be shaken.
But now I can guess. Watching the international situation once again roil due to the conflicts in the Middle East, I can say for sure that, despite its apparent isolation and self-reliance, the shock will inevitably reach inside North Korea, and the damage will slide off the regime and fall squarely onto the backs of the people.
In the coastal region where I lived, whenever fuel went up, the changes began within 24 hours. The number of trucks on the roads decreased, goods arrived late, and prices reacted immediately.
People knew of a crisis not from the news, but from the jangmadang market. Produce was suddenly being brought by handcarts and bicycles in place of trucks, but they could not sustain the flow of goods. Food supplies became unstable. Corn and rice prices shot up.
For people living day to day, this turned immediately into a matter of survival. Could they endure today?
The current situation has the potential to become far more serious than what I experienced. Tension in the Middle East may appear to be a regional dispute. But it’s one that shakes the core of global energy supply.
North Korea produces no oil of its own. In a system entirely dependent on external sources, such shocks strike directly. Dependent in this way, its people are among the most vulnerable in the world.
The situation becomes even more complicated when considering the relationship between Iran and North Korea.
Although official cooperation is limited, the international community has long suspected shared interests in military and missile technology. If Iran faces stronger sanctions due to war, North Korea will not escape the consequences.
From my experience, North Korea always responds to external shocks in the same way. It tightens control. The more difficult the situation becomes, the more firmly the borders close and the more restricted market activity becomes.
From 2020 onward in large part due to COVID-19 and closed borders with the outside world, as prices grew unstable, crackdowns increased and some goods became nearly impossible to trade.
People worried of course about rising prices. But what they most feared was the way goods were disappearing altogether.
The first thing to vanish was oil. At first, people said, “Deliveries are a bit late these days.” Trucks that normally arrived daily were delayed by a day or two, and no one thought much of it.
But after a few days, it was clear that the situation had changed. Trucks stopped appearing altogether, and goods entering the markets dwindled. That was when people’s expressions began to change.
Once oil disappeared, everything else stopped. Buses halted, factories shut down. As movement ceased, it felt as though our lives had stopped with it.
Everyone knew things could not continue this way, but there was no solution. Then one day, I heard something unbelievable. People were burning plastic to make oil. At first, I dismissed it as nonsense.
But it had already begun. People collected discarded plastic and vinyl, burned them, and gathered the oily liquid that came out. They filtered the thick, black substance and used it as fuel.
It looked like oil, so that was what we called it.
But the problems came afterward. Vehicles running on that fuel did not last long. Engines made strange noises, smoke poured out, and eventually broke down.
Then, people tried another method. They mixed the makeshift oil with the remaining diesel to make it last longer.
I saw men carefully pouring the mixture into small containers, their faces filled with both hope and fear. At first, the vehicles moved. “It works,” they said with relief. But within days, the engines died, this time completely.
By the sea, I saw the same thing happen with boats. Fishermen had to go to sea to survive, but with that fuel, no one knew when the engine might stop. Still, they had no choice. If they didn’t go out, they wouldn’t eat that day.
A saying spread: “Using oil is a problem. Not using oil is a problem.”
It perfectly captured the reality of that time. When transportation decreases, food from rural areas cannot reach the cities, and urban residents soon face shortages.
Factories and other such workplaces are no exception. When oil runs short, operations slow or stop, and the burden falls on the workers.
In the end, everything comes down to one question. Can we endure? North Koreans have endured hardship for decades, but there are limits.
As international tensions worsen, the burden falls not on the state but on individuals. The government tightens control, and the people must survive within new constraints.
I left North Korea, but when I think of those who remain, this situation does not feel distant. My past experiences tell me that rising global oil prices do not remain just economic news. They become another “silent crisis” inside North Korea.
Events that once seemed like distant news seep into our lives, and the changes always strike the most vulnerable places first. North Korea is no exception.
Kim Yumi, a North Korean defector, was born and raised in Haeju, South Hwanghae Province, a coastal military area. Growing up near a naval base, she was able to secretly watch South Korean news programs and TV shows, thereby uncovering the vibrant, democratic society of South Korea. Yumi and her husband made the brave decision to escape North Korea and seek a better future. Now in Seoul, she is actively involved in raising awareness about the realities of life in North Korea, especially on her YouTube channel, “@KimYumiTV.”
Latest posts by Kim Yumi (see all)
- Rising oil prices send ordinary North Koreans into survival mode - March 30, 2026
- Is Kim Ju-ae being groomed for a support role? - March 17, 2026
- Kim Jong-un’s emphasis on women is core part of regime survival strategy - March 9, 2026