Cash remains king: Why North Koreans resist Pyongyang’s digital payment push
North Korea is holding public lectures encouraging electronic payment adoption, but citizens remain hesitant due to concerns about government surveillance and policy instability.
A source...
Pyongyang’s digital gold rush: How North Korean hackers fund the regime through crypto theft
North Korean trade officials operating in China are illegally selling cryptocurrency to Chinese nationals, with Pyongyang earning a fortune in foreign currency as a...
Marketing revolution: N. Korean companies pitch privacy protection and free installation via text
Text message ads sent through smartphones are booming in North Korea, with users receiving over 10 commercial messages a day as companies compete to...
Kim Jong Un’s China visit yields new front in North Korea’s sanctions evasion campaign
The North Korean authorities established a "Korea-China Technical Collaboration Center" immediately after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited Beijing early last month, and...
North Korea elevates intelligence capabilities with new unified spy agency
North Korea has transformed its Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB) into the Reconnaissance Information General Bureau, creating a unified intelligence agency that integrates satellite, cyber,...
North Korea launches app-based digital grain voucher system to control distribution
North Korea is launching an app-based system for rice distribution, with grain vouchers added to an electronic payment app on a trial basis in...
How China uses electronic devices to spread cultural influence in North Korea
Chinese local governments are quietly backing large-scale production of electronic devices designed specifically for the North Korean market, according to sources familiar with the...
N. Korea cracks down on intranet usage after document theft incident
North Korean state security officials recently examined email usage, intranet access and file viewing records at government agencies and schools in North Pyongan province.
"The...
North Korean app database shows stark medical divide between capital and provinces
An analysis of a database from a North Korean smartphone application shows that Pyongyang has far more medical facilities than anywhere else in the...
N. Korea expands drone support for select farms, sparking inequality concerns
North Korea has increased pesticide and fertilizer spraying using drones on major farms since July. While the selected farms welcome this boost in state...
