Analysis & Opinion About North Korea

North Korea revises science and technology law, adds unpaid labor penalties

Lee Sang Yong, Hwang Hyun-uk -
North Korea revised its science and technology law this year. The changes sharpen the criteria for choosing which new technologies enter production, and they...
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Kim Jong Un visits a Korean People's Army mechanized infantry unit in western North Korea on Apr. 25, 2026, during the 94th founding anniversary of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army

Why is North Korea’s loyalty language to Kim Jong Un suddenly softer?

Jung Kyo-jin -
North Korea's Ninth Party Congress in 2026 formally cemented Kim Jong Un's status as the country's supreme and unchallenged leader. Yet a recent destroyer...
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Kim Jong Un and Kim Ju Ae walk past a wall inscribed with names at the Taesong Mountain Revolutionary Martyrs' Cemetery in Pyongyang, flanked by North Korean officials, during an Aug. 14 visit marking the 81st anniversary of Korea's liberation.

Kim Ju Ae’s contrasting expressions offer clues to her succession training

Yoshihiro Makino -
South Korea's National Intelligence Service briefed the National Assembly's intelligence committee on Sept. 1. Kim Ju Ae, it said, is effectively at the stage...
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Latest North Korea News

coal mine

Collapse at factory-run coal mine in North Hamgyong province injures worker

Eun Seol -
A coal mine collapse in North Korea's North Hamgyong province on Sept. 12 seriously injured one worker. The accident highlights how production pressure is...
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Kim Jong Un inspects troops in North Korea.

Diverted military morphine raises health fears for North Korean officer’s wife

Eun Seol -
A North Korean army officer has spent years diverting morphine meant for military medical facilities to his wife. A source inside the military told...
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North Korean sellers peddle goods on the fringes of a market in Sunchon, South Pyongan Province, in October 2018.

North Korea’s market rice prices fall as yuan exchange rate plunges

Seulkee Jang -
Rice prices in North Korea's informal markets, known as jangmadang, continued falling in September 2026 after a stretch of national holidays boosted grain supplies...
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North Korean province launches student tracking app, but glitches pile up

Jeong Seo-yeong -
North Korean education officials in South Hamgyong province have launched a student tracking app for high schools. Students can now borrow library books and...
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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.

Will the New Yalu River Bridge finally open? Border traders point to early October

Seon Hwa -
Talk of a New Yalu River Bridge opening in early October 2026 is spreading rapidly along the China-North Korea border. Rising vehicle traffic and...
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North Korea Market Trends

Updated 26-09-13
Exchange Rate 1 USD → KPW
Pyongyang
69,500
Sinuiju
69,510
Hyesan
69,520
Full Exchange Rate Data →
Rice Prices KPW per kg
Pyongyang
41,100
Sinuiju
41,200
Hyesan
41,400
Full Rice Price Data →

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