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
Rice prices climb again in North Korea as fresh corn drives...
Rice prices in North Korean markets turned upward again in early October 2026, even as corn prices kept falling. The split shows how slowly...
Interview: How bribery holds North Korea’s market economy together
A few years ago, two researchers - Dr. Andrew Yeo (Brookings Institution) and Dr. Justin Hastings (University of Sydney) - conducted a series of...
North Korea expands medical insurance as new hospitals rise in cities...
North Korea is building model hospitals and pharmacies across the country while widening a new medical insurance program meant to ease the cost of...
Yuan loses ground against dollar as North Korean market prices keep...
Market prices in North Korea fell for a fourth consecutive week in late September 2026, as a fresh corn harvest and easing exchange rates...
Women’s union crackdown targets home tailoring workshop in Hyesan
A women's union crackdown in the North Korean border city of Hyesan has targeted a home-based tailoring workshop this September, with officials publicly criticizing...
South Hwanghae grain store managers escape punishment after hiking rice prices
Managers of state-run grain stores in North Korea's South Hwanghae province pushed rice prices well above market rates in September 2026. Provincial authorities summoned...
North Korea’s market rice prices fall as yuan exchange rate plunges
Rice prices in North Korea's informal markets, known as jangmadang, continued falling in September 2026 after a stretch of national holidays boosted grain supplies...
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,...
