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~USD 1-10M
REVENUE
Resilience Profile
Pomhyanggi
Five crises in 25 years: famine, demolition, sanctions, pandemic, flooding. Still won a WIPO Gold Medal and produces 12 million units annually.
Sinuiju 🇰🇵
North Korea
The world's most isolated market economy, operating entirely outside global commerce systems with brands developed in complete information isolation from international trends.
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Isolation Research Lab
The world's only market developing entirely outside global commerce systems. Documenting DPRK brands reveals what commerce looks like when isolated from Western platforms, international trends, and digital marketing—providing unique insights into brand development in complete information isolation.
Explore Brands by Location
Interactive map showing brand locations across the Global South. Use proximity search, view regional clusters, and explore nearby brands.
Use arrow keys to pan, plus and minus to zoom. Click markers to view brand details.
Map data © CARTO © OpenStreetMap contributors
Resilient Brands
<$10M
REVENUE
Resilience Profile
Unhasu
UN sanctions banned chemical imports. Unhasu pivoted to indigenous ingredients in weeks—6x production growth, 13x export surge by 2023.
Pyongyang 🇰🇵
Related Insights
Market Map
🇰🇵
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North Korea Skincare: Survival Through Crisis
Two state factories, 70 years of production, 300+ products—hidden behind sanctions. Not because they failed. Because no one looked.