North Korea’s markets — known as jangmadang (장마당) — emerged from the famine of the 1990s and have since become the backbone of the country’s informal economy. Daily NK tracks grain and rice prices, foreign currency exchange rates, government crackdowns on market activity, the rise of the donju merchant class, and the broader marketization of North Korean society. Our network of in-country sources provides some of the most detailed and timely reporting on North Korea’s markets available in English.
Tag: markets
As summer heat fades, North Korean people flock to parks in...
North Korean people are flocking to parks, squares and riverbanks in the evenings now that this summer's punishing heat wave has finally broken. Many...
Pork prices near record 160,000 won per kilogram in North Korea
Pork has become one of the most expensive staples in North Korea since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, with prices now so high...
Private traders still control goods distribution after passing through customs
North Korea has consolidated its foreign trade under officially licensed trading companies, sidelining independent traders from the import process. But once goods clear customs,...
North Korea’s rice prices fall for the first time in two...
North Korean market prices are showing signs of cooling in 2026. The price of domestically grown rice fell for the first time in more...
North Korean neighborhoods see rise of privately run makeshift stalls
Small, privately funded stalls are springing up on street corners across North Korea, giving people a convenient alternative to official markets for everyday purchases.
A...
New customs route opens for cars in North Korea, but brokers...
North Korea has begun allowing new cars to be imported from China through official customs channels, but few brokers are eager to take advantage...
Apartment prices fall in one of Pyongyang’s newest districts
Apartment prices in one of Pyongyang's newer housing districts have fallen from about $70,000 to roughly $60,000, and sales have slowed sharply, as a...
In North Korea, homes near markets fetch triple pre-pandemic prices
Housing prices near a market in the North Korean city of Chongjin have climbed as much as three times their pre-pandemic levels in 2026....
As prices soar, North Koreans sell homes just to raise trading...
A growing number of North Koreans struggling to make ends meet are selling homes to raise trading capital as soaring prices have sharply driven...
North Korea rice prices hit 17-year high as corn costs surge
Rice prices in North Korea climbed to their highest level since the country's 2009 currency redenomination in mid-August 2026, according to Daily NK's latest...
