Keeping food safe in North Korea, 'Solar Cooler Bicycle'

Food is essential for people to survive. North Koreans are no exception. However, North Koreans often get food poisoning from the food they buy at the North Korean market called 'Jangmadang'(The North Korean local market). According to Daily North Korea and other North Korean media outlets, North Korea's current electricity situation is so poor that food sold at the local market is often spoiled, even if it's in the refrigerator at home.

Many North Koreans are at risk of contracting foodborne illnesses because they often resort to consuming spoiled food. Worse yet, considering food poisoning as a common disease, the North Korean government does not take appropriate measures to address the issue. Thus, our team, ‘Joseon Food and Drug Administration’ has initiated this project to prevent the situation from deteriorating further!

‘Joseon Food and Drug Administration' had a lot of discussions about food hygiene issues in North Korea during the '2nd Korean Peninsula Makers' program by National Endowment for Democracy and The Bridge International. Upon careful consideration, we realized that finding appropriate technologies for the local context is crucial, as solving North Korea's severe power shortages in the immediate future is not feasible.

We focused on the distribution process: food storage in the marketplaces. North Koreans mainly get their food from the local market because of the failure of the rationing system. However, the food in the market is vulnerable to spoilage due to exposure to sunlight, high temperature, and humidity. It may not be fresh by the time it is purchased.

Would sanitizing food distributed in North Korean markets reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses? We are attempting to find an answer to the question.

To solve the food storage problem in the market, 'Joseon Food and Drug Administration' will distribute solar cooler bicycles that combine solar power systems, coolers, and bicycles to the market so that people can handle and store food hygienically in the market to ensure safety and quality.

Given the power shortages in North Korea, our team designed an energy-efficient cooling system that uses small batteries and solar panels to power coolers. Also, we provide a comfortable food transporting experience to the North Koreans by combining solar-cooling systems and bicycles, which are familiar to North Koreans. In this way, we can prevent food from spoiling during transportation and reduce food waste. As a result, North Koreans will have access to fresh and safe food. It will also reduce the frequency of food poisoning among North Koreans.

Before distributing the products, we will educate people about the usage of the product. Also, we will raise awareness about the timeliness and severity of food hygiene issues in the North Korean market. Through this project, we aim to increase awareness among North Koreans and market vendors regarding the significance of food storage, the severity of food poisoning, and the measures that can prevent the issue.

Our project faced financial challenges, and it is also difficult to distribute the products to North Korea. Despite the difficulties, our team felt that it would be a shame to give up without trying. Our team is determined to see this project through to the end with the advice and support of many people and The Bridge.

We will be committed to ensuring that North Koreans have access to fresh food and no longer suffer from food poisoning. Please support us put an end to the issue of food poisoning in North Korea through Impact Donation!