Pyongyang’s post-congress economic push hits raw material wall in Ryanggang
As North Korea's Ninth Party Congress wrapped up with a renewed emphasis on local development, the cabinet issued its first concrete implementing directive on...
North Korea touts uniform success at Ninth Party Congress, but factory workers say otherwise
North Korea is celebrating the nationwide supply of school uniforms as one of its crowning socialist achievements, but factory workers tasked with producing those...
North Korean teens skip school for gold mines as livelihood crisis deepens
In some parts of North Korea, the number of teenagers heading to gold mining sites has been growing as their families struggle to make...
North Korea restricts shampoo, stationery and snack imports as localization drive intensifies
North Korea is tightening import controls on detergents, soap and stationery as part of a broader push to promote domestic consumer goods, following the...
More fish farms, but seafood prices keep climbing in North Korea
North Korea has been promoting the expansion of coastal fish farms as an achievement, but seafood prices in local markets have actually been rising....
North Hamgyong residents decry forced levies for Pyongyang’s Hwasong district phase 5 construction
North Hamgyong province has issued emergency orders demanding material support and labor brigade recruitment for the phase 5 construction project in Pyongyang's Hwasong district,...
Compost theft attempt at North Korean military unit sparks nightly guard rotations
A near-theft of compost painstakingly produced by a side-business work team under the logistics bureau of North Korea's Ninth Corps headquarters has prompted workers...
Holiday dining boom exposes North Korea’s widening wealth gap
North Koreans dined out in record numbers during the Kim Jong Il birthday holiday (Feb. 16) and Lunar New Year (Feb. 17), as restaurants...
North Korea eyes slice of Russian market long dominated by China
North Korea's ruling party instructed the cabinet's Ministry of External Economic Relations in early February to pursue a new strategy aimed at securing a...
North Korea tightens grocery store regulations
North Korea instructed grocery store managers across the country in early February to strictly follow government guidelines for the purchase, sale, and storage of...
