North Korea’s China consulates hit with sweeping inspection, pre-dawn raids
North Korea's consulates in China were subjected to a sweeping inspection last month, with auditors conducting unannounced pre-dawn searches of staff residences on multiple...
North Korea resumes overseas labor deployment to China amid warming bilateral ties
Hundreds of North Korean workers entered China through the border city of Dandong in April 2026, in an unprecedented resumption of overseas labor deployment...
When one North Korean defector disappears in China, police round up everyone they know
Chinese police have sharply intensified surveillance of North Korean defectors living in China, summoning and interrogating entire social networks whenever a single individual goes...
North Korean candy finds a market in China as defectors seek a taste of...
North Korean candy and snacks are quietly finding a market in northeastern China, where defectors, longing for home, are buying them despite prices that...
North Korea’s trade officials are running a pay-to-work racket
To get a coveted work posting in China, North Korean trade workers are being forced to hand over as much as $20,000 in cash...
North Korean defectors in China rattled by police photo visits
North Korean defectors living in China are reportedly gripped by fear after police in their neighborhoods began making repeated visits to photograph them, sources...
China blocks North Korean factory workers en masse
A Chinese garment factory in Liaoning province attempted to bring roughly 100 North Korean female workers into China in January, but local authorities rejected...
WeChat surveillance ensnares two N. Korean women planning to reach South Korea
Two North Korean defector women who exchanged WeChat messages about reaching South Korea were arrested by Chinese police in early February and remain in...
Russian goods shop in Dandong reveals North Korea-China-Russia cooperation
A shop dealing solely in Russian goods in Dandong, China—just across from the customs house in the North Korean city of Sinuiju, North Pyongan...
Height, songbun, and accordion skills: What it takes to land a North Korean restaurant...
With North Korea expected to expand its overseas workforce, more young women are taking lessons in singing and musical instruments with the hope of...
