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
N. Korea tightens control over pine nut forests ahead of harvest...
Ahead of the start of the pine nut harvest season, North Korea’s Central Committee and the country’s Cabinet issued a joint order on Aug....
Yanggang Province farmers ordered to collect more grass than usual
As part of broader efforts to relieve the country's chronic manure shortages, North Korean authorities in Yanggang Province have significantly increased the quota of...
Boat carrying 15 people sinks near Samsu Power Station Dam
A boat carrying 15 people on a lake near the Samsu Power Station Dam and Reservoir in Hyesan, Yanggang Province, recently sunk and all...
Behind the rise of homeless people in North Korea
Daily NK has reported on the increase of homeless people in North Korea over the past several months. In February, there were reports that...
N. Korean woman who killed husband faces life in prison
A woman living in Huchang County, Ryanggang Province, was recently sentenced to life in prison for murdering her husband with the help of her...
N. Korean gold smugglers arrested near the Sino-NK border
Two North Koreans from South Hwanghae Province were recently arrested after sneaking into Hyesan, Ryanggang Province, to smuggle gold across the Sino-North Korean border,...
Elderly Ryanggang Province resident pays bribe to escape punishment
An elderly North Korean man living in Ryanggang Province was recently arrested and then released after paying a bribe to a local law enforcement...
Ryanggang Province witnesses price spikes
Amid recent news of panic buying and a surge in prices of imported goods in Pyongyang, price hikes have occurred outside of the North...
N. Koreans still defecting across the border in Ryanggang Province
Defections across the Sino-North Korean border in Ryanggang Province continue despite the North Korean government’s efforts to shutdown human traffic across the border, Daily...
N. Koreans in Ryanggang Province push back against high electricity rates
A North Korean source in Ryanggang Province reported recently that electricity rates in the province have risen considerably over the past several months, a...
