A source reported that Pyongyang’s ‘Taedonggang Beer House’ is still bustling with people despite the cold midwinter. The source said that especially at the beginning of the year, more and more Pyongyang citizens tend to visit Taedonggang Beer House amid the excitement surrounding the new year.
A Daily NK Pyongyang source said on the 6th, “Despite the cold weather, you can often see many people heading to the Taedonggang Beer House to drink beer. Beer is not just a drink for Pyongyang citizens, and drinking beer is an important social activity. He said, “Because it is established as an activity, the beer bar is hot even in the middle of winter.”
Gathering in groups at the Taedonggang Beer House to drink beer and form strong relationships has become a part of the culture in Pyongyang, so the Taedonggang Beer House serves more than just a place to serve drinks as a community place where residents build social bonds. The source explains that it is being done.
According to him, if you want to go to the Daedonggang Beer House, you definitely need a ‘beer card’. Adult males residing in Pyongyang City receive beer cards that allow them to purchase 5 liters of beer every month through the People’s Unit.
This beer card is usually issued at the end of December every year based on the number of men in each household, but those serving in the military or deployed overseas are excluded from beer card distribution.
If you go to the Daedonggang Beer House with the beer card distributed in this way, you can exchange it for a beer ticket by paying a fee of 500 won (North Korean money) per liter, and use this beer ticket to drink beer.
The source said, “The reason Pyongyang citizens visit Taedonggang Beer House a lot is because of the relatively soggy (cheap) prices,” adding, “Okryugwan noodles are so expensive that they don’t dare to buy them, but Taedonggang Beer is priced so that even ordinary people can afford it, so they go to Taedonggang Beer House.” “It’s about finding it,” he said.
However, the source said that only a small number of people drink 5 liters of beer a month. Of course, there are people who work all day and stop by the Daedonggang Beer House after work to drink beer to cheer up the day, but there are also quite a few residents who find it difficult to afford a beer due to financial difficulties.
“Drinking Taedonggang beer in Pyongyang is one of the privileges enjoyed by Pyongyang citizens, but there are a significant number of people who cannot enjoy beer due to financial constraints,” the source said.
The source explained that in this situation, some households exchange their rationed beer cards for beer tickets and then sell them on the black market for 2,500 to 3,000 won per liter to add to their living expenses. It is said that beer tickets are secretly traded by increasing the price by as much as 5 to 6 times.
A source said, “Trading beer tickets has been around for a long time, and people generally don’t see it as a big problem, wondering what’s wrong with it,” adding, “But they don’t talk about it publicly because they can be punished if they get caught trading like this.”
Source: www.dailynk.com
