Tag: poverty
Soaring grain prices bury farm workers in debt
Soaring grain prices have left farm workers in North Korea’s North Hwanghae province facing a hungry winter in 2026. Many borrowed food and daily...
Firewood and coal prices double in Ryanggang province
Firewood and coal prices have doubled in North Korea’s Ryanggang province after a sudden cold snap, a local source said. Low-income families in Hyesan,...
Top grades, top class: Hyesan schools rank students
Some junior and senior middle schools in Hyesan, a North Korean border city, began sorting students into ranked classes by grades in 2026. The...
Kimchi shortage exposes farm policy flaws
A poor 2026 harvest of radishes and napa cabbage is set to cause a kimchi shortage in parts of North Korea this winter. The...
Shock brigade thieves face public trial in Paekam
Three young laborers in North Korea’s Ryanggang province faced a public trial in October 2026 for a monthslong theft spree targeting food, livestock and...
North Korean teachers ordered to cram English for language contest
Education authorities in North Korea’s North Hamgyong province have ordered teachers to compete in a “multilingual contest” in 2026. Teachers in Chongjin say it...
Hamhung sellers push pricey “export” health supplements
Private sellers in Hamhung, North Korea, are aggressively pushing pricey health supplements on local people in 2026. They claim the products come from North...
For some North Koreans, harvest duty becomes a picnic
North Korea’s 2026 fall harvest mobilization looks very different depending on where people work. At some well-funded state agencies and enterprises in South Pyongan...
North Korean teen defies mother to join army
A widowed mother in Tanchon, South Hamgyong province, has begged her son’s school to keep him off North Korea’s 2026 conscription rolls. The teenager,...
Badminton boom takes off among North Korean high school students
A badminton boom is sweeping North Korean high schools in 2026, as Musan county teenagers turn parks into free courts. Rackets and shuttlecocks once...
