Tag: food shortages
North Korea mobilizes labor for rice planting even as seedlings lag...
North Korea has ordered a mass mobilization for the rice transplanting season in North Pyongan province even as some farms in the region have...
North Korea’s spring planting season derailed by acute fuel shortages on...
Fuel shortages are forcing farm workers on North Korean collective farms to till fields by hand during the spring planting season of 2026, raising...
North Korea’s fish farms struggle to survive as state demands results...
Fish farms across North Korea are preparing for the spring fingerling release season, but soaring feed costs and mounting maintenance expenses are pushing facilities...
A mended plastic bag from North Korea tells the story the...
On April 15, the day North Korea marks the birth of founding leader Kim Il Sung with elaborate state celebrations, I was combing through...
North Koreans can’t afford home repairs even as imported flooring fills...
A variety of imported vinyl flooring sheets are flowing into North Korea through border customs posts in 2026, but deepening economic hardship has gutted...
Break-ins hit South Hamgyong villages during planting season as police do...
A wave of break-ins is sweeping rural areas of South Hamgyong province in April as thieves exploit the spring planting season to target homes...
ASF resurges in North Korea, pushing pork prices higher and exposing...
African swine fever (ASF), a highly contagious and often fatal viral disease in pigs for which no vaccine currently exists, is spreading again across...
North Korea’s black market dollar rate breaks all-time record as China...
North Korea's black market exchange rate for the U.S. dollar broke 70,000 North Korean won for the first time in recorded history in April...
North Korea cooking oil distribution falls flat as prices exceed reach...
North Korea distributed cooking oil ration vouchers to mark the April 15 birthday of founder Kim Il Sung in 2026, but the state-set price...
Middle East oil shock doubles North Korea freight costs, squeezes traders
Rising oil prices driven by instability in the Middle East are pushing up fuel costs inside North Korea, with transport fees charged by private...
