Analysis & Opinion About North Korea

russia, photos

North Korean workers sent to Russia with no say and no destination

Lee Sang Yong, Hwang Hyun-uk -
North Korea is sending more workers to Russia in 2026, but many recruits leave without knowing their destination or their jobs. A posting to Russia...
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Thermal satellite images show Yongbyon reactors running nonstop

Bruce Songhak Chung -
North Korea’s Yongbyon nuclear complex kept its key reactors and processing plants running through 2026, according to my analysis of satellite imagery. High-resolution photos...
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grasshopper market exchange rate grain

Interview: How bribery holds North Korea’s market economy together

English Language Editor -
A few years ago, two researchers - Dr. Andrew Yeo (Brookings Institution) and Dr. Justin Hastings (University of Sydney) - conducted a series of...
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Latest North Korea News

imports, oil, corruption, shipyard

North Korean vessels cash in on drug runs between Southeast Asia and China

Seulkee Jang -
North Korean ships are earning large sums of foreign currency through drug smuggling between Southeast Asia and China in 2026, according to a source...
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Apartment buildings in Hyesan, the capital of Ryanggang province, North Korea, photographed in August 2018.

Hyesan lectures pit free socialist housing against capitalist bank loans

Jeong Seo-yeong -
Propaganda lectures in the North Korean border city of Hyesan are casting South Korean homeowners as debt slaves to their banks. The 2026 campaign...
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Defector families in North Korea turn away remittance brokers, threaten to report them

Lee Chae Eun -
Families of North Korean defectors are turning remittance brokers away at the door in 2026, refusing cash from relatives abroad and threatening to report...
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A wide aerial view of flooded rice paddies divided by raised earthen paths, with a small tractor working one field, trees and a rooftop in the foreground, and a village and hills in the distance, in Anak county, South Hwanghae province, North Korea.

Rice prices climb again in North Korea as fresh corn drives grain prices down

Seulkee Jang -
Rice prices in North Korean markets turned upward again in early October 2026, even as corn prices kept falling. The split shows how slowly...
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schools, education, students

Kim Jong Un’s party orders chief secretaries to take charge of party school study

Eun Seol -
North Korea has ordered its top provincial, city and county party officials to personally lead party school study in 2026. The move tightens Kim...
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North Korea Market Trends

Updated 26-10-11
Exchange Rate 1 USD → KPW
Pyongyang
71,200
Sinuiju
71,220
Hyesan
71,230
Full Exchange Rate Data →
Rice Prices KPW per kg
Pyongyang
43,500
Sinuiju
43,700
Hyesan
43,800
Full Rice Price Data →

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Expert analysis on North Korea