North Korean wigs and false lashes are a hot commodity that China cannot get enough of. Nearly $170 million dollars worth of wigs, beards and eyelashes made up 60 percent of North Korea’s declared exports to China in 2023.

HAIR TRADE DOMINATES TOPS EXPORTS TO CHINA

Trade between China and North Korea is down, mainly due to United Nations sanctions against North Korea due to its nuclear program. Interestingly, the hair trade is outside of these sanctions and North Korea can and does freely trade hair products with China. Processed hair topped the list of exported goods from China to North Korea for eight consecutive months. Even in China’s down economy, the allure of North Korean wigs and lashes persists, proving their unique position in the market and an irreplaceable appeal for Chinese customers.

HIGH QUALITY LASHES

Known as the “eyelash capital of the world,” Pingdu, China, sources about 80 percent of its eyelashes from North Korea. Making false eyelashes and wigs is highly labor-intensive, with each lash individually sharpened to the millimeter and attached one by one, and North Korean-produced products are high in demand and considered to be of “high-quality craftsmanship.” The two main reasons China imports eyelash materials is due to North Korea’s high-quality eyelashes and low cost of labor (which is a tenth of what China’s cost to produce the same).

Trading eyelashes and wigs generates millions in revenue each month for Kim Jong-un’s country, although it is difficult to know exact amounts. Popularity and increased demand in China is significant for the North Korean people, who desperately need more exports to put food on the table.

IN SHORT SUPPLY

DailyNK reported that hair is in high demand in North Korea as it tries to increase wig exports. Ironically, the country deems long hair as a practice that goes against socialist sensibilities and is one that is punishable by law. Desperate for money, “there are women who avoid the crackdowns and secretly grow out their hair so they can sell it for as much money as possible.” The source added that “Women grow out their hair to as much as 25 centimeters (10 inches), and one bundle of hair can be sold for up to 20 to 25 kilograms (44 to 55 lbs) of corn. But it takes a long time for women to grow out their hair, so they wash their hair more frequently to try to get their hair to grow faster.”

Wig-weaving is particularly popular amongst high school students in North Korea, as teenagers have better eyesight, which allows them to weave wigs under oil lamps in an electricity-scarce country*. Political prisoners have also been subject to wig and fake eyelash-making at labor camps, though performing the tasks without receiving any wages.

* White Paper on Human Rights in North Korea 2022 released by the Korea Institute for National Unification in 2023