A knock-off Ikea has popped up in one of Kim Jong-un’s luxury shopping centres in North Korea – despite the retailer saying there are no authorised stores in the hermit nation. Set in the shiny Ryugyong plaza shopping mall in central Pyongyang, the fake store comes complete with a huge collection of furniture – from tables and chairs to desks and shelves – and Ikea’s iconic blue and yellow logo on its entrance. It is not known if the products being sold are genuine pieces by the Swedish retail giant.
Eyebrows were raised when the outlet was spotted in TikTok video showing a creator visiting luxury boutiques at Ryumgyong mall, which opened its doors in 2023. The clip, released by the state-controlled DPRK Times, has since been branded a classic example of North Korean propaganda, with the supposed shopper panning the camera across stores that claim to be high-end Western brands, including Chanel and Adidas.
Ikea meanwhile told Swedish newspaper Expressen: "There are no authorized Ikea retailers in North Korea," and that violations of intellectual property rights are continuously monitored with “appropriate action taken”. Despite being brand new and fully stocked, Ryumgyong plaza mall appears to be empty in the clip. It comes after North Korea opened a John Lewis-style department store selling western brands in 2019 - mocking UN sanctions that were imposed in 2006, which banned the sale of western goods to the totalitarian state.
Ikea has 480 stores in 63 different countries, not including North Korea. It's been theorised that products for the stores have been smuggled from China - North Korea’s biggest trading partner and a country known for producing convincing designer replicas.
