Tag: finance
North Korean youth spend $345 on power-symbol coats worn by security...
Young North Koreans are shelling out $345 to copy a look that signals power: "gaeteol-shuba," the dog-fur padded coats worn by soldiers, state security...
N. Korean defectors in China lose savings to trusted individuals who...
Female defectors working part-time to support families back home have no recourse when Chinese nationals refuse to return money, unable to use banks or...
Fur and famine: N. Korea’s elite flout luxury bans as workers...
North Korea’s elite women are flaunting luxury fur coats worth millions of won—enough to buy a provincial home or feed a family for years—while...
N. Korean military unit cracks down on soldiers using private barbers
Units of the 25th Brigade of the North Korean border guard based in Hyesan, Ryanggang province, have recently begun cracking down harder on its...
N. Koreans struggle to obtain wind blockers as winter approaches
Many households in North Korea’s Ryanggang province — where winter temperatures plummet to close to 30 degrees Celsius below freezing — lack wind blockers...
North Korean soldier beaten to death for failing to collect fuel
A North Korean soldier with the Eighth General Bureau, which is thought to be responsible for construction projects, was fatally beaten by his superiors...
Why North Korean troops fear “assignments” more than combat duty
A North Korean young man performing his military service in the riot police was beaten unconscious by a group of his superiors, prompting an...
Homeroom teachers compete over student bribes as class ceremonies become status...
North Korean high school students in their final year are increasingly putting on a variety of "graduation parties," leaving parents who must now prepare...
North Korea bans foreign currency wages, mandates cash payments in revised...
North Korea revised the Labor Wages Act in May to make it illegal for workers to be paid in foreign currency. In addition, the...
North Korea launches market crackdown as Chinese imports surge
With imports rising following the recent expansion of trade between North Korea and China, North Korean authorities have launched a crackdown on the illegal...
