💸 Money & economy🧱 Compound word⚪ Neutral
Spiciness
🇰🇵 North Korea

💰돈주

/don-ju/

Donju, literally “masters of money” or “owners of money,” refers to North Korea’s new wealthy class: private financiers, market investors, and large-scale moneylenders who grew out of the jangmadang market economy after the 1990s famine period.
돈주 meaning visual explanation

Examples

2
  • "People say some donju funded apartments and transport businesses through connections with officials."
  • "After the jangmadang expanded, donju became a key word for understanding North Korea’s informal economy."
📻 North Korean media📰 NewsFirst seen 1998

Origin · Source

The term is usually explained as 돈의 주인, “master/owner of money.” Its exact first use is unclear, but it is widely tied to the late-1990s expansion of jangmadang markets after the collapse of state distribution during the Arduous March. In South Korean and international reporting, donju is used for North Korean private capital holders who lend money, exchange foreign currency, invest in trade, real estate, transport, and work through official connections. The year is approximate because the word spread gradually through North Korean market life and outside reporting.

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