Tag: cigarettes
N. Korean construction workers fuel black market in stolen building materials
North Korea's ambitious factory construction drive has created a black market economy, with workers stealing cement, lumber and steel to trade with cash-strapped locals...
Kim Jong Un’s favorite cigarettes command premium prices in China
North Korean cigarettes known as "7.27" — favored by leader Kim Jong Un — are gaining popularity in parts of China's Liaoning province despite...
N. Koreans risk forest fires with traditional slash-and-burn farming
People in mountainous areas of North Pyongan province are clearing agricultural land by burning vegetation, significantly increasing the risk of forest fires.
A source in...
N. Korean cigarette trade collapses under Chinese police raids
Chinese authorities have intensified their crackdown on smuggled North Korean cigarettes, one of Pyongyang's primary illicit exports, causing the distribution network to shrink dramatically,...
Dual-function battery transformers highlight growing wealth gap in N. Korea
Battery transformers imported from China are gaining popularity among wealthy North Koreans. These dual-purpose devices, which both convert voltage and store electricity, are seeing...
N. Korean parents offer desperate bribes to save children from military...
North Korean parents are desperately trying to keep their children out of the army ahead of the country's spring draft, with mounting concerns over...
Bribes help N. Koreans dodge midnight police raids in N. Hamgyong...
North Korean police have intensified inspections of residential areas in North Hamgyong province, using heightened inter-Korean tensions as justification. The provincial Ministry of Social...
Sink or swim: North Korea’s war prep hits the pool
North Korean authorities have intensified swimming education in Pyongyang's middle schools, citing war preparedness, as teachers face unprecedented scrutiny of their aquatic skills.
Speaking anonymously,...
Rodong Sinmun circulation drops in North Korea’s rural areas
The number of copies of the Rodong Sinmun circulated to businesses in rural North Korea has dropped significantly. As a result, a growing number...
Group formed to crack down on smoking in North Hamgyong Province
A group to enforce “social compliance” with anti-smoking legislation passed during Nov. 4’s plenary session of the Presidium of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly...
