North Korea has opened a new high-end department store in Pyongyang which appeared to flout UN sanctions by selling luxury Western goods.
Shops at the Daesong Department Store were photographed advertising wares which appeared to be made by the likes of Chanel, Rolex, Nike and Fila.
If the items are genuine, it flies in the face of UN sanctions that have been in place since 2006 which ban the sale of all luxury goods to the country.
The Daesong Department Store has opened in Pyongyang, serving high-end goods to North Korea's elite, many of which appeared to be luxury western brands
Adidas and Nike branding was on display in the story. If the goods are genuine, it flies in the face of UN sanctions which have banned the sale of luxuries to the kingdom since 2006
Whether the goods are genuine or not, the branding proves there is demand in North Korea for foreign luxuries, running counter to the regime's ideology of nationalism and self-reliance
Female shoppers browse watches that claim to be made by luxury western firms such as Rolex, Tissot and Omega
While the idea of a department store would have been unthinkable during North Korea's socialist past, Kim Jong-un has been modernising - including adopting some western tastes
North Korea is known to use secretive trading routes to obtain banned items, including two Mercedes Maybach cars that are used by Kim Jong-un.
However, the North's largest trading partner is China, which is well-known for producing high-quality imitations of western goods, often copying trademarks and brand names.
Whether the goods are genuine or not, the images prove that there is a demand among North Korea's elites for Western luxuries - an idea that runs counter to the country's ideology of nationalism and militant self-reliance.
Kim himself is well-known for his taste in the finer things, including cheese, spirits, chocolate and even ice cream which are taken to the Hermit Kingdom from abroad.
Other brands that appeared to be on sale at the Daesong Department Store include Sony, Siemens and Panasonic, according to reports.
North Korea expert Markus Bell, of the University of Sheffield, asked how the Kim regime reconciled its politics with the pricey brands on offer.
He said: 'The Daesong Department Store offers a significant quantity of goods that are under UN sanctions.
'Luxury items displayed during the store's opening suggest that there continue to be holes in the international community's efforts to economically strangle North Korea.
North Korea is known to use secretive smuggling routes to move luxury goods from the west to their shores, including Rolls Royce and Mercedes cars favoured by Kim Jong-un
Fila was another western brand which appeared to be for sale inside the department store
However, it is not clear if the items are genuine because China - which is well-known for producing high quality imitations of western goods - is North Korea's biggest trading partner
The design of the store closely mirrors western malls, making it a bizarre site in North Korea
'Domestically, such goods are far out of the reach of the majority of North Korean citizens.
'But elite North Koreans I've worked with over the years - individuals with Workers Party of Korea (KWP) membership or with family connections in Japan - reported shopping in such places.
'Ordinary citizens would be unlikely to even visit such high end department stores.'
He continued: 'It's likely that the Daesong Department Store is another effort to maximise tourist spending from China.
'What is interesting to consider is how, in Kim Jong-un's new-look North Korea, such expensive foreign consumer goods are positioned within the relationship of state-party leadership.
'Is there room for the fetishisation of both the KWP and Nike? Could Michael Jordan's image one day stand alongside Kim Jong-un's? It's highly unlikely.
'So, what is the message that the KWP tells families browsing the Daesong Department Store?
'Is the purchasing of US products a betrayal of the party and the state? Or could shopping at the Daesong be reframed as a patriotic act?
The UN has banned the sale of all western goods to North Korea since a nuclear test in 2006, but the Hermit State often finds ways to flout the rules
While luxury goods are beyond the reach of the majority of North Korea's population, among elites in the capital there is a demand for status symbols such as quality suits
Two women walk into the department store shortly after it opened in Pyongyang
North Korea claimed the 'modern mall' was created in cooperation with foreign states
'These are questions worth asking ourselves if we're to envisage an economic opening of one of the world's most closed countries.'
Kim Jong-un has led efforts to modernise North Korea's economy, including allowing people to own their own homes and purchase luxury goods - which would have been unthinkable under the socialist systems favoured by his predecessors.
It's said that the Kim regime uses high-end gifts to keep senior officials loyal to the leader, and reward good behaviour.
State-run media says the shopping centre was built with help from the top architects in North Korea, who strived to bring in world-class design, inside and outside.
One pro-North Korea outlet, The Choson Sinbo, called it a 'modern mall' created in close cooperation with foreign states.
Enforcement of the luxury goods ban against North Korea has been called 'woefully inadequate' by the Center for Advanced Defense Studies, which says a large number of the goods arrive via China.
Kim Jong-un himself has been spotted using a Rolls-Royce Phantom, a car for which the starting retail price is around $450,000 (£370,000).
