SEOUL; North Korea is producing more than 60 varieties of ready-to-eat meals resembling South Korea’s popular cupbap, or rice-in-a-cup products, as the regime seeks to showcase advances in its food-processing industry and improvements in people’s diets.
According to the October edition of Korea, a monthly magazine published by North Korea for foreign audiences, the Taedonggang Kumok Instant Rice Factory in Pyongyang’s Taedonggang District has developed a diverse range of convenience foods designed to be prepared and consumed with minimal effort.
The products include instant curry rice, beef soup with rice, scallop rice, tofu bibimbap and spicy instant noodles made with chicken bone broth. Their flavours were recently reviewed by North Korean critics, according to the magazine on Nov 6.
The publication described the facility as a competitive food manufacturer specialising in instant meals tailored to the tastes and dietary preferences of North Korean consumers.
Promotional photographs published in the magazine showed an assortment of ready-to-eat meals packaged in disposable containers resembling the cupbap products widely sold at convenience stores across South Korea.
The packaging featured labels using the word “instant”, while promotional slogans emphasised the convenience of preparing hot meals without conventional cooking.
One advertisement proclaimed that consumers could enjoy a hot meal anywhere in just 10 minutes, highlighting the products’ portability and ease of preparation.
The factory is reportedly equipped with production lines dedicated to processing instant rice, manufacturing seasoning sauces, packaging finished products and producing disposable food containers.
The magazine particularly highlighted the use of freeze-drying technology, claiming that it has helped address challenges associated with preserving prepared meals while maintaining their quality.
It also said the products are made using natural ingredients, including grains and vegetables cultivated through organic farming methods in North Korea.
Among the factory’s offerings, instant curry rice was singled out for its purported taste and nutritional value.
The magazine claimed the product tastes comparable to freshly cooked rice prepared at home and has received favourable reviews from consumers.
It also quoted purported customer testimonials praising the meals for their use of locally sourced ingredients and flavours suited to North Korean preferences.
Beyond rice-based meals, the factory reportedly manufactures macaroni, spaghetti and other processed grain products using ingredients such as mung beans, buckwheat and sorghum.
The publication said the factory has recently stepped up efforts to diversify its product line-up while developing more functional and environmentally friendly convenience foods.
It further claimed that Kumok-branded instant meals are gaining popularity among consumers because of their convenience, although no independent sales figures or distribution data were provided.
The emergence of cupbap-style products offers a glimpse into North Korea’s efforts to diversify its processed food offerings, particularly as the country increasingly promotes domestically manufactured consumer goods.
Unlike South Korea, where packaged ready-to-eat meals have become a staple of convenience-store culture, the extent to which such products are widely available to or affordable for ordinary North Koreans remains unclear.
Pyongyang’s decision to publicise the factory’s extensive product line-up and modernised production facilities appears intended not only to highlight technological progress in the domestic food industry but also to project an image of improving living standards and greater consumer choice.
The claims about product quality, popularity and technological advances come from North Korean state-controlled media and could not be independently verified. - Korea Herald/ANN
