Ryanggang province occupies the mountainous northern interior of North Korea, bordering China’s Jilin Province along the upper Yalu River. Home to Hyesan — Daily NK’s most closely covered city — Ryanggang province is a focal point of our ground-level reporting on border trade, smuggling, market conditions, and the reach of the regime’s enforcement apparatus into remote communities. Despite its geographic isolation, Ryanggang province has long been a hub of informal economic activity and cross-border exchange, making it one of the most important windows into the realities of life in the DPRK.
Tag: Ryanggang province
South Korean-style natural makeup catches on among young North Koreans
Young North Koreans in cities such as Chongjin are embracing a subtle, natural South Korean makeup style in 2026 that arrived through people who...
North Korean soldiers cut winter firewood for their units and their...
North Korean soldiers from the 10th Corps in Ryanggang province are heading into the mountains to cut firewood for the 2026 winter. Much of...
Samjiyon lecture cites purged officer’s case in foreign culture crackdown
Party officials in the North Korean city of Samjiyon held up the corruption case of Pak Hui Chol, a purged senior military political officer,...
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...
Elementary schools press students for fees days after fall semester starts
Elementary schools in Pyongsong, South Pyongan province, began collecting money from students within days of starting the fall semester, charging fees for a Sept....
Personal feud with watch leader triggers Hyesan brewing crackdown
A resident of Hyesan, in North Korea's Ryanggang province, lost their only source of income in 2026 after a neighborhood watch leader reported their...
In North Korea, a Chinese phone now costs as much as...
Chinese phone prices have surged along North Korea's border with China this year. Intensifying crackdowns and a halt in state-led smuggling have sharply reduced...
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...
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...
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...
