Farm labor shortages force North Korea to trap discharged soldiers in rural hometowns
A North Korean couple from different parts of the countryโthe man from the interior and the woman from the borderโmay have to call off...
Elderly N. Koreans long for Kim Jong Il era as markets wither and smuggling...
Amid persistent economic hardship, it is becoming more common for elderly North Koreans to long for the days of Kim Jong Il, as an...
Forest rangers and desperate villagers clash as N. Korea’s reforestation push meets winter fuel...
Frequent fights are erupting between North Korea's rural residents who illegally fell trees out of desperation to secure firewood for the winter and the...
North Korea launches multi-child family inspection campaign as officials visit homes to renew certificates
North Korea's Central Committee has ordered provincial party committees to pay special attention to families with multiple children, dispatching "visitation teams" to homes to...
Soldiers and civilians profit from “time of opportunity” as North Korea collects military rice
With the authorities collecting military rice supplies in agricultural communities throughout North Korea, the age-old practice of pilfering supplies on the ground is repeating...
Pyongyang’s calculated silence: Why North Korea won’t celebrate RFA’s shutdown
Radio Free Asia (RFA) may have suspended the production and broadcasting of programs into North Korea, but Pyongyang is keeping quiet about it, including...
North Korea intensifies indoctrination promoting ‘complete nation’ status under new doctrine
North Korea has been focusing on ideological indoctrination to teach the public that it is a completely independent nation โ not an incomplete, divided...
Central Committee launches probe after female miners complain of abuse at Unpa Mine
The Central Committee's Discipline Inspection Department launched an internal inspection of Unpa Mine in South Pyongan province after female laborers at the mine complained...
North Korea’s wealthy pay premium for imported winter coats as status symbols
Puffer coats from foreign brands imported by state-authorized smugglers have become very popular with affluent North Korean customers at marketplaces in Hyesan, Ryanggang province,...
North Korean farm workers moonlight as paid replacements during harvest mobilization
As North Korea's national mobilization for the fall harvest nears its conclusion, a bizarre trend has emerged of farm workers being paid to serve...
