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...
Side-by-side satellite comparison of the newly built Samsa and Sangdan train stations, showing their identical rectangular design and orange roofs

Satellite images reveal flooded rail line in Ryanggang province

I analyzed high-resolution satellite imagery of Paekam county, in North Korea's Ryanggang province, and found that a hydroelectric dam has flooded part of a...
business loans

Guilt over watching K-drama leads to arrest in Pyongsong

North Korean authorities arrested two young men in Pyongsong, South Pyongan province, in 2026. Their crime was watching K-drama, the South Korean dramas widely...
Rear wheel of a North Korean electric bicycle fitted with a shock absorber for load-bearing modifications

North Korea orders custom e-bikes from China, eyes local production

North Korea is ordering custom electric bicycles from Chinese manufacturers and importing the finished products to meet rising domestic demand. At the same time,...
View from a train crossing the Yalu River, with China visible on the right and North Korea on the left

In China, North Koreans hear they’re the poor ones

North Korean authorities boast of the country's rising international standing. But in 2026, a very different story is spreading among North Korean people in...

North Korean beauty salons, saunas embrace premium services

North Korean beauty salons and sauna houses are increasingly rebranding themselves as premium service providers in 2026, bundling haircuts, massages, skin care treatments and...
Crowds bow before the bronze statues of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il at Mansudae Grand Monument, Pyongyang, October 2012

North Korea steps up surveillance to erase belief the two Koreas are “one people”

North Korea's Ministry of Social Security has ordered tighter surveillance of North Korean people. The goal is to root out the lingering belief that...

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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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