North Korean dispatched workers at a construction site in Vladivostok, Russia

North Korea curbs cheap overseas labor dispatch

North Korean authorities have moved to revoke authorization for state agencies and trading companies to send workers abroad, and are also re-evaluating the profitability...
Three-panel satellite sequence showing Dudan Island in the Daedong River disappearing, 2012 to 2026

Satellite images show N. Korea dredging rivers on a massive scale

North Korea is carrying out large-scale sand and gravel extraction along its major rivers in 2026. Crews are deploying large dredgers and heavy equipment...
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...
grasshopper market exchange rate grain

N. Korea rice prices hit record high as exchange rate climbs

Rice prices in North Korean markets have surged to a record high in July 2026. The spike follows a brief lull earlier this month,...
A bus crosses the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge over the Yalu River, traveling from Sinuiju, North Korea to Dandong, China

North Korea sends 10,000 workers to China in a month

North Korea has sharply ramped up the number of new workers it is sending to China this summer, with roughly 10,000 laborers crossing the...
hamhung

Rising prices drive North Korean women toward prostitution

More women in parts of North Korea are turning to prostitution to survive amid worsening economic hardship. Police have tried posing as clients to...
A picture of a gasoline pump in North Korea's city of Sinuiju.

N. Korea quietly buries deadly gas station explosion

An explosion at a gas station in Sinuiju, North Korea, killed more than 20 people in early June 2026. A source says authorities are...

Pyongyang busts luxury smuggling ring selling to elite wives

A special task force in Pyongyang has arrested the manager of a foreign currency store and a trade official accused of smuggling luxury brands...

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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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