Analysis & Opinion About North Korea

Kim Jong Un speaks at the Ninth Workers' Party of Korea Congress, Pyongyang, Feb. 19, 2026

North Koreans dodge style patrols as constitution enshrines the socialist lifestyle

Lee Sang Yong, Hwang Hyun-uk -
North Koreans are finding quiet ways around the socialist lifestyle crackdown in 2026, even after Kim Jong Un’s government wrote the campaign into the...
Read more
Kim and Trump

Signs point to Kim Jong Un preparing for a Trump-Kim summit

Jung Kyo-jin -
As talk of a possible Trump-Kim summit grows in 2026, shifts in North Korea’s domestic political events suggest Kim Jong Un is quietly preparing...
Read more
View of Dandong from the North Korean bank of the Yalu River, with the Yalu River Broken Bridge and Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge visible.

Nuclear tests, purges and a pandemic: The long road to the New Yalu River...

Yoshihiro Makino -
China and North Korea opened the New Yalu River Bridge on Oct. 15, 2026, a full 17 years after the two neighbors first agreed...
Read more
Load more

Latest North Korea News

A green bus travels along an elevated approach road leading to the New Yalu River Bridge in Dandong, China, with the bridge's white cable-stayed tower visible in the background.

New Yalu River Bridge opens, but customs delays leave trucks waiting for hours

Seulkee Jang -
The New Yalu River Bridge between China and North Korea opened on Oct. 15, 2026, after 12 years of delays. Slow customs clearance on...
Read more
markets

How Kim Jong Un’s state is taming trade outside North Korea’s general markets

Lee Sang Yong, Hwang Hyun-uk -
Where do North Koreans buy their food and daily necessities in 2026? Most still go to the general markets that have anchored the country’s...
Read more
chongjin security

Chongjin railway official expelled after bribing his way into party school

Eun Seol -
North Korea has expelled a Chongjin railway official from the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea in an October 2026 party school bribery case. The...
Read more

Farm workers balk as Pyongyang pushes electronic payment cards

Kim Ji-woo -
North Korean authorities are pressing South Pyongan province farm workers to load their savings onto electronic payment cards, saying the cashless shift will prevent...
Read more
A photo of Hyesan's downtown area.

Chinese goods flow back into Hyesan as customs ends holiday shutdown

Lee Chae Eun -
The Hyesan customs office in North Korea’s Ryanggang province reopened on Oct. 12, 2026, after a closure tied to China’s National Day holiday. Autumn...
Read more

Stay Informed

North Korea, delivered to your inbox every week.

Get exclusive reporting from inside the DPRK sent directly to you — straight from Daily NK's in-country source network.

►

Published every week — concise, reliable, on time

►

Reporting unavailable from any other outlet

►

Trusted by journalists, researchers, and policymakers worldwide

Subscribe Free

No spam • Unsubscribe anytime

About Our Sources

Reporting from inside North Korea

Daily NK has maintained a network of correspondents inside the DPRK since 2004. Our sources report at personal risk — providing ground-level information unavailable from any other outlet.

►

Reporting since 2004 — over two decades of in-country coverage

►

Sources in Pyongyang, Sinuiju, Hyesan and beyond

►

All reporting verified against multiple independent sources

North Korea Market Trends

Updated 26-10-11
Exchange Rate 1 USD → KPW
Pyongyang
71,200
Sinuiju
71,220
Hyesan
71,230
Full Exchange Rate Data →
Rice Prices KPW per kg
Pyongyang
43,500
Sinuiju
43,700
Hyesan
43,800
Full Rice Price Data →

Analyst Spotlight

Expert analysis on North Korea