North Korea opens knock-off Ikea store in 'luxury' mall as Swedish firm issues threat 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.
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”.
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.
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.
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.
