North Korea orders sweeping rebuild of northern border blockade
North Korea has ordered a massive reconstruction of its northern border defenses, re-establishing landmine fields and reaffirming its strict shoot-on-sight policy against any unauthorized...
New customs route opens for cars in North Korea, but brokers stay cool
North Korea has begun allowing new cars to be imported from China through official customs channels, but few brokers are eager to take advantage...
Sinuiju flooding stalls North Korea-China cargo trade for days
Heavy rain in Sinuiju has disrupted cross-border cargo truck traffic between North Korea and China, further cooling Chinese investment sentiment that had been building...
As smugglers vanish from North Korea’s border, security agents’ lifestyles take a hit
North Korea's crackdown on smuggling along its border with China has cut off a key source of side income for state security agents who...
North Korea money-transfer brokers make a comeback amid bank distrust
Private money-transfer brokers are reviving in North Korea after a period of suppression aimed at pushing people toward banks. The distrust toward banks that...
North Korea quietly hikes phone prices at the border
North Korea has quietly raised the prices of two mobile phone models sold in four border provinces, adding 500 Chinese yuan (about $74) to...
North Korea remittance broker fees jump to 50% amid crackdown
North Korean authorities have sharply intensified crackdowns on illegal money transfers made using Chinese mobile phones. Remittance brokers near the country's border say their...
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...
New bridge stirs a housing boom in North Korea’s Sinuiju
Apartment prices in Sinuiju, a North Korean border city, have been climbing steadily since the COVID-19 pandemic. A source in North Pyongan province told...
Cargo trucks line up at China-North Korea border in trade surge
Cargo truck traffic between China's Dandong and North Korea's Sinuiju has surged in mid-2026, with dozens of trucks lining up daily at the border...
