business loans

Markets, not wages, feed North Korean households

"The official salary from my workplace is about 30,000 North Korean won a month. But feeding our family of four takes more than 800,000...
Hard-hatted miners in front of an inscribed stone monument at the 2.8 Jikdong Youth Coal Mine

What’s behind North Korea’s coal industry push?

North Korea held the second plenary session of the ninth Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea from June 20 to 22. According...
Image differencing map showing nighttime light increases across downtown Sinuiju and Wihwa Island greenhouse farm

Behind Sinuiju’s brighter nights, a widening electricity divide

Electricity supply in Sinuiju, North Pyongan province, has improved somewhat in 2026 compared with last year. Neighborhoods near provincial and city party offices, the...
A North Korean vehicle with a North Pyongan province license plate travels on a street in Dandong, Liaoning province, China, in February 2019.

Residency ID rumors spark hope for North Korean defectors in China

Rumors that China may soon issue permanent residency ID cards to North Korean defectors are spreading rapidly across the country's northeast. The rumors have...
Satellite images from Jan. 21 and April 7, 2026, showing facility changes at North Korea's Pyongsan uranium refinery, including roof repainting, four freight trains, and unknown construction near coal storage

N. Korea locks down villages near uranium plant over mystery illness

North Korean authorities have sealed off a cluster of villages near a uranium refining plant in North Hwanghae province. The lockdown follows an outbreak...
Supreme People's Assembly (SPA)

Purged military official’s graft case sparks outrage among North Koreans

North Korean people are calling for a sweeping investigation into corruption across the country's power organs. A senior military official's dramatic public downfall sparked...
Panoramic view of Hyesan city in Ryanggang province, North Korea, with the Yalu River in the foreground, August 2018

A teen’s vow to catch leeches moves North Koreans to tears

A high school sophomore in Hyesan, Ryanggang province, recently finished mandatory military training. The training is run by the Red Youth Guard, a paramilitary...
North Korean soldier at guard post on China-North Korea border in 2012.

N. Korea border guard duty loses its appeal as bribes dry up

Attitudes inside North Korea toward serving in the border guard have shifted completely. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, soldiers could collect bribes for turning a...

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North Korea Market Trends

Updated 26-07-19
Exchange Rate 1 USD → KPW
Pyongyang
65,000
Sinuiju
65,100
Hyesan
65,150
Full Exchange Rate Data →
Rice Prices KPW per kg
Pyongyang
40,000
Sinuiju
40,200
Hyesan
40,600
Full Rice Price Data →

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