North Korea’s economy defies easy categorization — a nominally socialist system hollowed out by decades of mismanagement and sanctions, sustained by a sprawling informal market economy that the regime alternately tolerates and suppresses. Daily NK covers the North Korea economy through ground-level price tracking, foreign currency monitoring, reporting on economic policy directives, and analysis of how ordinary North Koreans navigate an environment of chronic scarcity and institutional dysfunction. Our market data — collected through a network of in-country sources — provides economic intelligence on the DPRK unavailable anywhere else in English.
Tag: economy
Pyongyang police crackdown on teen mobile payments
Police in Pyongyang have started an emergency crackdown after discovering that high school students in the capital's central districts made over 150 mobile payments...
N. Korean rice prices hold at record highs as food shortages...
North Korean rice prices, which broke through 10,000 won per kilogram for the first time in early June, are holding steady at around 12,000...
China cracks down on border smuggling
Cross-border smuggling in Hyesan, Ryanggang province, has been suspended for more than a month after Chinese authorities intensified enforcement in mid-May. The crackdown appears...
N. Korean rice prices stabilize at record highs
North Korean rice prices have settled around 12,000 won per kilogram after breaking the 10,000 won barrier for the first time on record. Meanwhile,...
Smuggled, expired, and deadly: Inside N. Korea’s contraceptive underground
Last year, Daily NK reported that black market merchants in Chongjin, North Hamgyong province, were secretly selling expired Chinese-made contraceptives to teenagers and young...
N. Korean smartphone spills state secrets
A fascinating glimpse into North Korea's technology sector has emerged through analysis of the Samtaesong 8, a North Korean smartphone. Daily NK's examination of...
N. Korea sets new S. Korea policy, views military pact as...
North Korea has been quietly reshaping its South Korea policy since Lee Jae-myung took office, leaving open the possibility of easing tensions and pursuing...
Why a minerals deal with N. Korea would be dangerously naive
A recent proposal for a "minerals-for-security" deal with North Korea fundamentally misunderstands both the nature of Kim Jong Un's regime and the lessons of...
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...
Grain prices soar in N. Korea as won-dollar rate crosses 24,000
North Korean market prices are soaring again, with both grain prices and foreign exchange rates hitting record highs and driving continued volatility.
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