Inside secretive North Korean fair where knock-off Prada bags and goods are flogged

The world has always been fascinated by what goes on behind closed North Korean doors. And thanks to a select few images from this week's Pyongyang Spring International Trade Fair – the 23rd edition – a weird reality of one section of North Korean life has been revealed.

Despite being called an “international” trade fair, North Korean leaders actually banned all foreigners, including Russians.

So, the idea of an international trade fair comprising of only North Korean businesses is already a glimpse at how bizarre the event is.

Crowds gathered outside the event hall in Pyongyang before it opened, but images from inside the event – of which there are not very many – show an almost dystopian-like event where many stall holders were wearing Covid-era medical masks while flogging goods that would have looked out-of-style in the 1990s.

One image shows a woman trying on what clearly looks like a fake Prada bag, while similar bags adorn a wall that all seem to be fake versions of big name brands like Louis Vuitton.

Another image shows a man look to buy a pair of glasses, while two women in sterile white coats observe his every move.

A plethora of technology was also on show, with rice cookers seemingly the biggest and most popular item on sale.

A stall selling technology showed the names of huge brands such as Haier and HiSense in the background – although the Daily Star can't see any evidence that the brand is actually available to buy in North Korea.

Displays for home-grown brands like NKA and YoYoung were also seen . . . as well as a wall of giant safes being sold for some reason.

Another image showed one man sniffing some kind of strange pink slime, of which we have absolutely no idea what it is . . .

No Western media was allowed at the show, only North Korean-based photographers from two agencies – but if this is the future of international trade in North Korea, we don't hold out much hope of the walls coming down on the country anytime soon.