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...
imports, oil, corruption, shipyard

North Korean military officer executed for stealing reserve grain

A North Korean military officer arrested for embezzling state reserve grain meant for the armed forces was recently executed in public. A Daily NK source...
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...
Boys swim and rest along a rocky riverbank on the Yalu River near Hyesan, Ryanggang province

No lifeguards as children swim rivers in North Korea’s summer heat

North Korean children are flocking to rivers and streams to cool off during the summer heat, even on rainy days. Almost no safety personnel...
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...
A torchlight parade and evening gala marking the 11th Congress of the Socialist Patriotic Youth League in Pyongyang, North Korea

North Korea targets university students in media crackdown

North Korea's state youth organization has ordered a special crackdown on banned foreign media. It has named university students as the "primary target," 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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