North Korean market prices surge after weeks of decline
North Korean market prices surged in mid-February 2025 after weeks of decline, as prolonged border restrictions have squeezed supplies of foreign currency and goods...
North Korea halts state smuggling ahead of party congress
North Korean authorities suspended state smuggling across North Pyongan, North Hamgyong and Jagang provinces in early February, ahead of the Ninth Party Congress scheduled...
Gold dealers arrested as North Korea targets illicit bullion market
As North Korea launched a fresh crackdown on the illicit gold trade in early February 2025, state security agents in North Pyongan province arrested...
North Korean seafood floods Chinese markets despite UN export ban
Trade representatives from Rason are purchasing large quantities of shellfish and other seafood from coastal areas of South Hamgyong province for export to China,...
North Korean sea cucumbers sell at premium prices in China despite UN sanctions
While North Korea is prohibited from exporting fishery products under United Nations Security Council sanctions, seafood from the North, including pricey dried sea cucumbers,...
North Korean market prices continue downward trend as currency rates fall
North Korean market prices have continued their downward trajectory, with falling exchange rates simultaneously driving down the cost of both grain and imported goods.
According...
North Korea forces forest rangers to seize firewood from freezing people
People gathering firewood in the hills along North Korea's northern border with China are dodging forest rangers who have intensified patrols to meet quotas...
Cold weather drives temporary boom in North Korean market food sales
Food sales to merchants around the marketplaces of Hyesan, Ryanggang province, are booming as freezing temperatures drive demand for warm, affordable meals, though sources...
Chinese firms abandon North Korean household workers, turn to prison labor for exports
Contract manufacturing work once done by ordinary North Koreans in their homes is shifting to prisons and state-run factories as Chinese businesses reduce orders...
North Korea defense ministry finds massive embezzlement in elite Pyongyang guard unit
Commanders of North Korea's elite 91 Metropolitan Defense Corps were caught embezzling funds collected from soldiers and their families for modernizing and renovating base...
