Scholar uses trash as treasure to study life in North Korea

By HYUNG-JIN KIM
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean scholar has turned to a different way of collecting information about secretive North Korea as pandemic restrictions make it harder for outsiders to find out what life is like for North Koreans. Professor Kang Dong Wan from Dong-A University has been combing the beaches of South Korean border islands for North Korean trash. He’s collected about 2,000 pieces of trash, ranging from snack bags, juice pouches, sweet wrappers and drink bottles to seasoning sachets. He says his findings confirm North Korean state media reports that the country has been producing a variety of consumer goods on the orders of leader Kim Jong Un. People’s tastes have grown and there’s even a bigger industrial design sector to meet the demand for goods.