Tag: corruption
Interview: How bribery holds North Korea’s market economy together
A few years ago, two researchers - Dr. Andrew Yeo (Brookings Institution) and Dr. Justin Hastings (University of Sydney) - conducted a series of...
Pak Hui Chol graft case sets off purge of N. Korean...
North Korea's military corruption probe is sweeping through army political departments in 2026, months after the regime exposed a major graft case in July....
Pyongsong orders young singles to resettle in North Korean farm villages
North Korean authorities in Pyongsong have ordered workplaces to pick unmarried young people under 30 for permanent rural placement in 2026. The forced rural...
North Korean soldiers cut winter firewood for their units and their...
North Korean soldiers from the 10th Corps in Ryanggang province are heading into the mountains to cut firewood for the 2026 winter. Much of...
Samjiyon lecture cites purged officer’s case in foreign culture crackdown
Party officials in the North Korean city of Samjiyon held up the corruption case of Pak Hui Chol, a purged senior military political officer,...
South Hwanghae grain store managers escape punishment after hiking rice prices
Managers of state-run grain stores in North Korea's South Hwanghae province pushed rice prices well above market rates in September 2026. Provincial authorities summoned...
Diverted military morphine raises health fears for North Korean officer’s wife
A North Korean army officer has spent years diverting morphine meant for military medical facilities to his wife. A source inside the military told...
North Korea’s meth prices surge as drug trafficking crackdown intensifies
North Korea's crackdown on drug trafficking has intensified sharply this year. The tightened enforcement has shrunk methamphetamine distribution networks, and it has driven prices...
Personal feud with watch leader triggers Hyesan brewing crackdown
A resident of Hyesan, in North Korea's Ryanggang province, lost their only source of income in 2026 after a neighborhood watch leader reported their...
North Korea threatens asset seizure in crackdown on fuel smuggling
North Korean authorities have ordered a sweeping crackdown on illegal fuel trading, targeting Russian imports diverted onto the black market. Officials framed the order...
