Tag: hyesan
North Koreans skip medicine as drug prices soar at private markets
As North Korea's seasonal temperature swings intensify this spring, the number of cold and flu cases in Ryanggang province has surged. But for most...
North Korean remittance brokers shut down for SPA election
North Korean remittance brokers suspended operations in border cities ahead of the March 15 Supreme People's Assembly election, shifting instead to public participation in...
Smuggling resumes at Hyesan as North Korea-China trade signals point to...
State-sanctioned smuggling along the border in Hyesan, Ryanggang province has resumed after a roughly three-month suspension, bringing relief to traders whose goods had been...
In North Korea’s Hyesan, men’s new income is tearing families apart
North Korean women in Hyesan who used their market savings to buy vehicles for their husbands are now divorcing them after the men spent...
North Korean youth stands his ground after arrest for listening to...
When a Ministry of State Security agent stopped a young man in a Hyesan alley in mid-February 2026 and demanded to know why he...
Rice and corn prices hit record highs in North Korea amid...
Rice and corn prices at North Korean markets have surged to historic highs in 2026, with the won's sharpest depreciation against the dollar on...
North Korea’s wealthy youth buy cars they can’t drive, hire drivers...
Young North Koreans with wealthy parents are buying vehicles they cannot drive and hiring drivers to run them as taxis or freight haulers, turning...
North Korea’s poorest youth are choosing brutal labor brigades over life...
Young North Koreans facing poverty and an unrelenting burden of workplace levies are volunteering for the country's much-dreaded labor brigades in growing numbers, choosing...
North Korea targets currency traders with undercover operatives as won crisis...
North Korea has drawn its sharpest response yet to a currency crisis, deploying undercover security cadets and newly assigned officers to crack down on...
North Korea’s machinery import surge: farms, factories and shipyards stocked up
North Korean trading companies have sharply expanded machinery imports from China since late last year, with equipment ranging from farm machinery and industrial tools...
