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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 2019)
ASIA / PACIFIC January 7, 2019 LIVE PIGS FOR SALE THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 3 Now Accepting New Patients Christabeth Boyd, M.D. Board Certified in Family Medicine Pigs available for purchase for your celebration! w Lunar New Year w Birthdays w Other celebrations (503) 673-3400 www.portlanddoctor.co Fluent in English, Tagalog & Visayan 1235 S.E. Division Street, Suite 115, Portland, OR 97202 Visit our family farm in Estacada, Oregon! w Live 100- to 200- pound pigs w Customers are able SANCTIONS CIRCUMVENTED. A North Korean woman walks outside Bugsae Shop, one of the stores known as the Singapore shops, in Pyongyang, North Korea. Despite the unwanted publicity of a criminal trial for one of their main suppliers, business is booming at Pyongyang’s Singapore shops, which sell everything from Ukrainian vodka to brand-name knockoffs from China. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) North Korea’s “Singapore shops” expose gap in sanctions push By Eric Talmadge The Associated Press YONGYANG, North Korea — Despite the unwanted publicity of a criminal trial for one of their main suppliers, business is booming at Pyongyang’s “Singapore shops,” which sell everything from Ukrainian vodka to brand-name knockoffs from China. The stores stock many of the very things United Nations’ (U.N.) sanctions banning trade in luxury goods are intended to block and provide a nagging reminder that not all potential trade partners are lining up behind the U.N.’s pronouncements or the Trump administration’s policy of maximum pressure on the North. Especially when there’s a buck — or a few million bucks — to be made. The stores are anything but secret. They are well marked, open to walk-ins, and distribute their own membership cards to reward regular customers. Until recently, the name of their Singaporean partner, the OCN Group, was printed on the Bugsae Shop’s plastic shopping bags. And while being the focus of the court case that could land OCN’s former director in prison for a very long time, they continue P to unabashedly specialize in imported products — perfumes, fine jewelry, wines, clothing, and cosmetics — that would ap- pear to blatantly violate U.N. restrictions. Formally known as the Potonggang Ryugyong Shop and the Bugsae Shop, the stores are a fixture of the upscale shopping scene in Pyongyang, catering to the capital’s elites, Chinese businessmen, and members of the diplomatic corps. Purchases can be made in dollars, euros, and Chinese yuan. The price in each is displayed digitally on the cash register. Both stores have been substantially renovated since last summer. The Ryugyong store now has a coffee shop behind the imported shoe section on its second floor. The Bugsae Shop has installed dark wood panelling and glass casing for its wines and spirits corner, which was recently dominated by vodkas from the Ukraine. It has separate display areas for snacks and soft drinks from Japan, Malaysia, and China, a row dedicated to fancy shampoos, and a section in the rear for imported electronic appliances and household goods. The well-stocked shelves belie the hit supplies must have taken with the arrest Continued on page 11 to butcher the pig they choose onsite w Hot water available To learn more, call Jesse: (503) 820-1830 Aquarium & Terrarium Decorative Covers Customize your 10-gallon tank Get an educat ion bigger t han a neighborhood. A nd it all begins w ith Preschool & Kindergarten. The International School offers a preschool and elementary school education that goes beyond language and cultural immersion to open a w orld of possibilities. Discover your child’s potential. Visit intlschool.org or call 503-226-2496 x110 to schedule a personal tour. PERSO N A L TO U RS AVA ILA BLE Sign up at: intlschool.org/tours C hine se • Spa nish • Ja pa ne se Inte rnatio na l Ba c c a la ure ate (971) 517-6026 AquaTerraTankDecor.com Pre sc ho o l – 5th gra de Dow ntow n / SW Waterfront, Portland Become an online reader! Visit <www.asianreporter.com> and click the “Online Paper (PDF)” link to download our last two issues. FREE HOME REPAIRS FOR PORTLAND SENIOR & DISABLED HOMEOWNERS Plumbing l Electrical l Carpentry Call (503) 501-5719 or visit https://reachcdc.org Portland Housing Bureau Interpretation services available Retirement Living C HAUCER C OURT • A PARTMENTS ~ S TUDIO , O NE B EDROOM , AND M OBILITY I MPAIRED KODO • F EDERAL R ENT S UBSIDIES A VAILABLE • N O B UY -I N OR A PPLICATION F EES • A FFORDABLE R ENT 30 % OF A DJUSTED G ROSS I NCOME • D I EAL U RBAN L OCATION NEAR R ESTAURANTS P UBLIC T RANSPORTATION , M EDICAL F ACILITIES , & S HOPPING ONE EARTH TOUR 2019: EVOLUTION TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 7:30 PM The Japanese taiko-drum m ing troupe returns for a dram atic perform ance full of pulsing rhythm s, athletic virtuosity, and stirring passion. The Oregon Symphony does not perform. 503-224-3559 Come Visit Us and See Our Renovated Apartments! 1019 SW 10 TH A VE • P ORTLAND 97205 orsymphony.org 503-228-1353 \RXURɅFLDOVRXUFH IRUV\PSKRQ\WLFNHWV MOVING M USIC FORWARD