Analysis & Opinion About North Korea

grains, food purchases

Grain stores scramble the math on North Korea’s rice prices

Lee Sang Yong, Hwang Hyun-uk -
For decades, the price of a kilogram of rice at the market has served as the single most important gauge of North Korea’s economy....
Read more
Propaganda mural depicting Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il surrounded by children at the Mangyongdae Funfair bullet train ride, Pyongyang

Fearing a slip, North Koreans avoid saying “unification”

Lee Sang Yong, Hwang Hyun-uk -
North Koreans still think of South Koreans as members of the same nation, but many now fear those words could slip out at the...
Read more
Front cover of “Rich and Spicy Northern Dialects,” a book on North Korean regional dialects by defector Seol Song Ah

Listening to how North Koreans talk

Lee Sang-yong -
A film I watched recently added Korean subtitles to a conversation between North Korean characters, as though they were speaking a foreign language. Eight...
Read more
Load more

Latest North Korea News

Hyesan, Ryanggang Province, yalu river

Hyesan street food vendors squeezed by soaring prices

Lee Chae Eun -
Street food vendors in Hyesan are struggling to survive as ingredient costs soar in November 2026. Raising prices drives customers away, but holding prices...
Read more
Three North Korean women sitting down in front of kimchi.

Soaring cabbage prices push Hyesan families to skip kimjang

Lee Chae Eun -
Soaring food prices are pushing a growing number of North Korean households to skip kimjang, the annual autumn ritual of making enough kimchi to...
Read more

North Koreans fed up with folk remedies as colds spread

Seon Hwa -
A wave of respiratory illness is sweeping parts of North Korea as the seasons change this fall, with adults and children alike battling colds...
Read more
north korean students

Top grades, top class: Hyesan schools rank students

Kim Ji-woo -
Some junior and senior middle schools in Hyesan, a North Korean border city, began sorting students into ranked classes by grades in 2026. The...
Read more

North Korea bans vending near Wonsan Kalma resort

Yoon HyeSeong -
North Korean authorities have tightened controls around the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone in 2026, banning street vending near the showcase beach resort. Officials...
Read more

Stay Informed

North Korea, delivered to your inbox every week.

Get exclusive reporting from inside the DPRK sent directly to you — straight from Daily NK's in-country source network.

►

Published every week — concise, reliable, on time

►

Reporting unavailable from any other outlet

►

Trusted by journalists, researchers, and policymakers worldwide

Subscribe Free

No spam • Unsubscribe anytime

About Our Sources

Reporting from inside North Korea

Daily NK has maintained a network of correspondents inside the DPRK since 2004. Our sources report at personal risk — providing ground-level information unavailable from any other outlet.

►

Reporting since 2004 — over two decades of in-country coverage

►

Sources in Pyongyang, Sinuiju, Hyesan and beyond

►

All reporting verified against multiple independent sources

North Korea Market Trends

Updated 26-11-08
Exchange Rate 1 USD → KPW
Pyongyang
71,200
Sinuiju
71,220
Hyesan
71,300
Full Exchange Rate Data →
Rice Prices KPW per kg
Pyongyang
50,300
Sinuiju
50,200
Hyesan
50,500
Full Rice Price Data →

Analyst Spotlight

Expert analysis on North Korea