Cheap North Korean coal keeps flowing into China despite U.N. ban
North Korea's mineral exports to China have recently increased, as Beijing appears to be enforcing sanctions on the North less strictly amid warming ties...
As won crashes, rural North Koreans rush to buy dollars
A growing number of people in rural North Korea are converting their spare cash into U.S. dollars or Chinese yuan, as fears grow that...
North Korea foreign trade shifts to state control
North Korea is overhauling its foreign trade system to route transactions only through official state trade organizations this year. Authorities have banned individual traders...
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...
In North Korea, homes near markets fetch triple pre-pandemic prices
Housing prices near a market in the North Korean city of Chongjin have climbed as much as three times their pre-pandemic levels in 2026....
North Korea garment factories draw women with pay, perks
Growing garment subcontracting trade between North Korea and China is pulling young women into export garment factories in cities including Sinuiju, Nampo and Pyongyang...
As prices soar, North Koreans sell homes just to raise trading capital
A growing number of North Koreans struggling to make ends meet are selling homes to raise trading capital as soaring prices have sharply driven...
North Korea rice prices hit 17-year high as corn costs surge
Rice prices in North Korea climbed to their highest level since the country's 2009 currency redenomination in mid-August 2026, according to Daily NK's latest...
Donju now run many of North Korea’s state grain shops
North Korean authorities set up state-run grain sales offices to stabilize food supplies and prices, but many of these shops are now run behind...
North Korea’s new factories struggle as workers sent to mines
North Korea is building new local industrial factories nationwide under its "Regional Development 20x10 Policy." The policy calls for building modern factories in 20...
