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...
Moranbong No. 1 Middle School building in Pyongyang, North Korea

N. Korea shifts school repair bills from parents to factories

Attendance is improving at schools in Kimchaek city, North Hamgyong province. Authorities there have eased a longstanding practice that forced students and parents to...
pyungyang students school vacations, schools

North Korean elementary students keep two diaries to hide feelings

Some elementary school students in parts of North Korea are keeping two separate diaries, with one written for school censorship and the other holds...
Supreme People's Assembly (SPA)

Purged military official’s graft case sparks outrage among North Koreans

North Korean people are calling for a sweeping investigation into corruption across the country's power organs. A senior military official's dramatic public downfall sparked...
Satellite images from Jan. 21 and April 7, 2026, showing facility changes at North Korea's Pyongsan uranium refinery, including roof repainting, four freight trains, and unknown construction near coal storage

N. Korea locks down villages near uranium plant over mystery illness

North Korean authorities have sealed off a cluster of villages near a uranium refining plant in North Hwanghae province. The lockdown follows an outbreak...
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...

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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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