N. Korea's household spending one-fifth of S. Korea's: report

SEOUL, Oct. 4 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's average annual household spending level
stands at 22 percent of that in the South, a report submitted to a lawmaker said
Sunday.
The findings submitted to Rep. Song Young-sun by the economic research institute
at the state-managed Industrial Bank of Korea showed a North Korean household
spends US$1,298 per year, compared to $5,858 for a South Korean family unit.
"Taking into account that the per capita income of South Korea is 18 times
greater than the North, the amount used by a North Korean family is relatively
high," the lawmaker said.
The total for a four-person family includes state rations handed out by
Pyongyang, Song said, adding that of the money used, the bulk of it, or $788, is
used to purchase rice.
She also said North Korean families received $7.80 worth of pork and $4.80 in
fish from the government, while various clothing, socks and shoes reached $38.40
per year.
Besides state rations, families spent an extra $361.20 a year to buy food and
clothing on the free market.
The lawmaker from the conservative opposition Pro-Park Geun-hye Alliance,
meanwhile, claimed that it may take 318 trillion won (US$270 billion) and 10
years for North Koreans to reach living standards on par with those enjoyed in
the South at present.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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