North Koreans in the capital city of Pyongyang are three times as rich as those in other areas, South Korea's state-run think tank said Thursday, in the latest sign of the deepening economic divide in the communist country.

Pyongyang's per capita gross domestic product is estimated to be at between $2,658 and $2,715 as of 2008, compared with a range of $791 and $1,213 in the South Hwanghae Province in the country's southwest, the Korea Development Institute (KDI) said in a report.



Since 2008, North Korea has been one of the poorest countries with a per capita GDP of only $1,000 on the purchasing power parity basis, the report said.

The KDI said its findings were based on estimates of the share of solid fuel used in cooking in North Korea as that type of energy is closely linked to the public's income level and is considered a relatively significant method in gauging the real income in underdeveloped countries with little statistical infrastructure.


As of 2008, North Korean households who use firewood to cook account for 47 percent, while coal-using households make up 46 percent, the KDI said, adding that it means that almost all North Koreans are given no access to modern energy sources, such as electricity, gas and oil.

The KDI also said about 88 percent of North Koreans aged 20-59 are officially employed in socialist sectors.

Still, the actual share of the employed population who can afford a decent living is estimated at between 31 percent and 62 percent, the KDI said, citing North Korea's 2008 census.

In comparison, the share of the officially employed population aged 20-59 in Pyongyang is 85 percent, while the real employed population stands at between 61 percent and 85 percent.

The KDI said its findings imply that Pyongyang holds a very special position in North Korea in terms of income, as well as real employment. (Yonhap)