New drivers fuel rise in North Korea traffic accidents
North Korean authorities are struggling to manage a surge in traffic accidents as private car ownership expands, with more than 30 accidents reported in...
North Korea cracks down on youths using South Korean-style word for dad
Authorities in Chongjin, North Hamgyong province, summoned three young people to a provincial youth league office this month over their use of the South...
Hyesan school shifts cooking exam costs to students
A technical senior middle school* in Hyesan, Ryanggang province, is drawing parent complaints over a new requirement. Students in its hotel cuisine class had...
N. Korea quietly buries deadly gas station explosion
An explosion at a gas station in Sinuiju, North Korea, killed more than 20 people in early June 2026. A source says authorities are...
Rising prices drive North Korean women toward prostitution
More women in parts of North Korea are turning to prostitution to survive amid worsening economic hardship. Police have tried posing as clients to...
No lifeguards as children swim rivers in North Korea’s summer heat
North Korean children are flocking to rivers and streams to cool off during the summer heat, even on rainy days. Almost no safety personnel...
North Korean elementary students keep two diaries to hide feelings
Some elementary school students in parts of North Korea are keeping two separate diaries, with one written for school censorship and the other holds...
North Korean students resent piri in Kim Jong Un’s gift instruments
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gave musical instruments to a lower secondary school in Ryanggang province last year. Now the school has assigned...
N. Korea shifts school repair bills from parents to factories
Attendance is improving at schools in Kimchaek city, North Hamgyong province. Authorities there have eased a longstanding practice that forced students and parents to...
A teen’s vow to catch leeches moves North Koreans to tears
A high school sophomore in Hyesan, Ryanggang province, recently finished mandatory military training. The training is run by the Red Youth Guard, a paramilitary...
