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
North Korea’s provincial firms need autonomy, not new specifications
North Korean authorities have been pushing provincial factories to update their product specifications to improve quality and lift flagging market demand — but updating...
Dyed dogs and goats: North Korean traders exploit summer livestock craze
Scammers in North Korea are dyeing the fur of ordinary livestock black and selling the animals as premium dark-furred breeds, exploiting a widespread belief...
North Korea’s grain stores look more stable, but a good harvest...
North Korea's state-run grain stores appear to be operating more reliably than in previous years, but experts say the improvement reflects last year's bumper...
Satellites show North Korea’s rice planting running ahead of schedule
North Korea's farms are planting rice slightly faster than in past years, with progress in 2026 running 2.7 percentage points ahead across eight sample...
North Korea-China trade contacts surge as officials flock to Dandong
North Korean trade officials are streaming into Chinese border cities to meet businesspeople and negotiate import deals, marking a sharp rise in North Korea-China...
North Korea targets unlicensed home restaurants as cheap eateries multiply
North Korean authorities have launched a crackdown on unlicensed home restaurants in Kaechon, South Pyongan province, ordering small food vendors to register their businesses...
Rice and corn prices hit record highs in North Korean markets
Rice and corn prices in North Korean markets have surged to record highs in June 2026, deepening food shortages as growing numbers of rural...
Solar energy gap widens in North Korea as only the wealthy...
North Korean authorities are urging state institutions, enterprises, and neighborhood watch units to install solar power systems to offset chronic electricity shortages, but the...
North Koreans skip state mobilization to run private gold operations from...
North Korean people living near gold mines in North Pyongan province have converted their homes into makeshift processing operations, crushing and washing ore to...
North Koreans credit rice price stability, but quality and affordability remain...
More than five years after North Korea's state-run grain stores were introduced, North Korean people say the outlets are operating more smoothly than in...


















