North Korea’s mobile phone insurance scheme draws anger as claims routinely denied
North Korea's state-run mobile phone insurance program promises to reimburse policyholders for theft and technical failures, but the benefits rarely materialize in practice, with...
Pyongyang targets software developers in crackdown on unauthorized programs
North Korea gathered more than 30 software developers in Pyongyang in mid-April 2026 to take part in what authorities billed as a technical training...
North Korean traders make fake calls to cover Chinese phone use
North Korean traders near the Chinese border have been deliberately placing brief international calls on state-issued mobile phones to create false records and disguise...
North Korea orders AI and new energy push, threatens managers who inflate results
North Korea has ordered industrial managers across the country to abandon inflated production statistics and pivot to quality-driven economic growth powered by new energy...
North Korea smuggles high-end computers and GPUs from China for hacking and AI development
North Korea has recently been importing large quantities of electronic devices and parts from China.
A source in China told Daily NK recently that North...
North Korean middle schoolers flock to buy MP7 and MP8 learning devices as status...
Electronic study aids priced at $97–$138 become student "necessities" in Hamhung as parents see them as cheaper alternatives to private tutors costing up to...
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...
