Our Source Network
Getting information out of North Korea is hard. Daily NK has spent years doing exactly that, quietly building a source network that reaches into nearly every province of the country — including areas largely invisible to the outside world, such as Gangwon, Jagang, and South Hwanghae.
Our sources — government officials, business people, and ordinary citizens — take real risks to share what they know. For their protection, we neither reveal their identities nor disclose the size of our network. Our reach extends to China, where sources track activity along the Sino-North Korean border, and to Russia through our reporting partners there. Defectors also contribute, helping us interpret and verify what we hear from inside.
North Korea ranks among the most closed media environments on earth. That’s precisely why this work matters.
How We Protect Our Sources
Daily NK communicates with its sources using encrypted phone calls and messages to ensure their safety. Keeping their identities anonymous provides an additional layer of security. We do not share information about a source’s social status, location, or other identifying details.
Our Corroboration Standards
Daily NK strives to corroborate its stories as much as possible. While many stories use information from at least two sources, there are exceptions: certain stories can only be confirmed by one particularly well-placed reporting partner. We are transparent about this when it is the case.
Sources in nearly every province, including areas rarely covered elsewhere
Dedicated sources monitoring activity along the Sino-North Korean border and in Russia
Government officials, business people, ordinary citizens, and defectors
All source communications are encrypted; identities are never disclosed
Our Track Record
Given the difficult reporting environment in North Korea, independent confirmation of stories is rarely possible in real time. However, Daily NK has a consistent record of being confirmed by North Korean state media, South Korean government announcements, or other authoritative sources after the fact. The examples below represent a selection of confirmed reports through 2020. Daily NK has continued to break stories ahead of official confirmation since then.
| Story | Reported | Confirmed by |
|---|---|---|
| Shoot-to-kill buffer zones on Sino-North Korean border | Sep 4, 2020 | Gen. Abrams, UN Command (Sep 10) |
| Special prisoner amnesty planned | Jul 27, 2020 | North Korean state media (Aug 16) |
| Nationwide school closures due to COVID-19 | Feb 2020 | North Korean state media (~1 week later) |
| Schools to reopen April 17 | Apr 14, 2020 | Subsequent events |
| Kim Jong Un’s visit to Samjiyon | Oct 2019 | North Korean state media (prompted crackdown to find leaker) |
| Dismissal of State Academy of Sciences president | Dec 29, 2019 | North Korean state media |
| Local people’s committee elections scheduled | Mar 26, 2019 | North Korean state media (Jun 11) |
| Mushrooms to be sent to South Korea as summit gift | Sep 13, 2018 | Blue House (Sep 20) |
| Ri Sol Ju to attend inter-Korean dinner | Apr 26, 2018 | Blue House (Apr 27) |
What Others Say About Our Reporting
“There is no other [news organization] that brings news so well out of North Korea as Daily NK.”
— Ju Song-ha, defector journalist, Dong-a Ilbo
“Daily NK [is] our only source on financial news, as it is, from North Korea.”
— Thomas Byrne, President, Korea Society
“They have a pretty good track record.”
— Joshua H. Pollack, Senior Research Associate, Middlebury Institute of International Studies
“Daily NK is doing a lot of this kind of journalism. They have citizen reporters inside North Korea or informants who can tell what’s going on in there.”
— Anna Fiefield, former Washington Post journalist, author of The Great Successor
“A generally reliable outlet.”
— Peter Ward, NK News contributor and North Korea economy researcher
About Daily NK
Is Daily NK a defector-run organization?
No. Daily NK has never been “run” by defectors. The organization’s editor-in-chief and president are both South Korean. Daily NK hires journalists originally from North Korea who have settled in South Korea.
How many languages does Daily NK publish in?
Daily NK publishes in Korean, English, Chinese, and Japanese. The Japanese website is run by a separate, editorially independent organization.
What is Unification Media Group (UMG)?
UMG manages radio broadcasts into North Korea and heads a consortium that includes Daily NK. Many Daily NK reports are cycled into UMG broadcasts for listeners inside North Korea.
Funding & Transparency
A large portion of Daily NK’s funding is publicly disclosed. Our biggest donors include the US-based National Endowment for Democracy (NED); information about NED grants received by Daily NK is available on NED’s website. Daily NK also accepts donations through its website and newsletter, and sells market data gathered from inside North Korea to researchers of the North Korean economy.
For questions about Daily NK, reach out at dailynkenglish@uni-media.net
First published April 27, 2020. Last revised March 12, 2026.
