Tag: foreign currency
As won crashes, rural North Koreans rush to buy dollars
A growing number of people in rural North Korea are converting their spare cash into U.S. dollars or Chinese yuan, as fears grow that...
North Korea money-transfer brokers make a comeback amid bank distrust
Private money-transfer brokers are reviving in North Korea after a period of suppression aimed at pushing people toward banks. The distrust toward banks that...
North Korea garment factories draw women with pay, perks
Growing garment subcontracting trade between North Korea and China is pulling young women into export garment factories in cities including Sinuiju, Nampo and Pyongyang...
Pyongyang busts luxury smuggling ring selling to elite wives
A special task force in Pyongyang has arrested the manager of a foreign currency store and a trade official accused of smuggling luxury brands...
N. Korea rice prices hit record high as exchange rate climbs
Rice prices in North Korean markets have surged to a record high in July 2026. The spike follows a brief lull earlier this month,...
North Korea busts elite hacking ring inside its own banks
A criminal ring hacked into the internal networks of North Korea's central bank and its main foreign trade bank. The ring used cryptocurrency to...
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...
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...
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...
Counterfeit Russian rubles flood Rason market as North Korea-Russia trade expands
Counterfeit Russian rubles have been circulating in Rason, North Korea's special economic zone on the China-Russia border, prompting authorities to dispatch a special inspection...
