Tag: donju
Donju now run many of North Korea’s state grain shops
North Korean authorities set up state-run grain sales offices to stabilize food supplies and prices, but many of these shops are now run behind...
Two arrested in Wonsan for smishing, voice phishing crimes targeting donju
North Korea has arrested two people in Wonsan, a city in Kangwon province, in mid-July 2026. Investigators say the pair used a "smishing" scheme,...
Markets, not wages, feed North Korean households
"The official salary from my workplace is about 30,000 North Korean won a month. But feeding our family of four takes more than 800,000...
North Korean beauty salons, saunas embrace premium services
North Korean beauty salons and sauna houses are increasingly rebranding themselves as premium service providers in 2026, bundling haircuts, massages, skin care treatments and...
North Korea arrests three in Sariwon housing corruption probe
A sweeping corruption investigation has reportedly been launched in Sariwon, North Hwanghae province, targeting donju, North Korea's class of wealthy private entrepreneurs, and the...
Zeekr electric vehicles and luxury used cars on display as sales...
North Korean authorities launched a large-scale car exhibition in Pyongyang in June 2026 while simultaneously ordering the Ministry of Social Security to covertly investigate...
Kim family fashion drives custom tailoring boom among North Korea’s wealthy...
Wealthy North Koreans are commissioning custom-tailored suits modeled on the outfits worn by Ri Sol Ju and Kim Ju Ae at official state appearances...
North Korea’s donju hand over rice and cash to the state...
North Korean authorities are pressuring wealthy private traders known as donju — loosely translated as "masters of money," referring to a class of entrepreneurs...
Young North Koreans turn to flexible 8·3 labor as state wages...
Young workers in North Korea are increasingly using a practice known as "8·3 labor" — paying a fee to their state-assigned workplace in exchange...
North Korean donju convert apartments into duplexes to shelter wealth from...
Wealthy entrepreneurs in North Korea are buying adjacent apartment units and converting them into private duplexes, a trend driven less by lifestyle aspiration than...
