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
North Korean households squeezed by human waste quotas as state touts...
Neighborhood watch units in parts of North Korea have ordered each household to submit 50 kilograms of dried human waste as fertilizer by mid-July...
North Korea police caught singing banned songs and using slang, authorities...
North Korean authorities have launched a discipline crackdown on police officers caught singing songs of unknown or unauthorized origin and using crude slang, after...
North Korean ramen exports rise, but quality still lags
North Korean ramen exports to China are growing, adding to a food trade that already includes candy and beer. But Chinese shoppers say the...
North Korea train corruption scheme exposed after officer dispute
A North Korea train corruption scheme came to light on June 6, 2026, after two security officers clashed over a train compartment built to...
Hyesan residents see hope for economic relief in Xi Jinping’s visit
Following Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to North Korea on June 8 and June 9, 2026, hopes are reportedly rising among the North Korean...
North Korea cracks down on moonshine as grain prices spike
North Korean authorities in Hyesan city have intensified a crackdown on home-brewed liquor production during the annual lean season, arguing that using grain to...
North Koreans credit rice price stability, but quality and affordability remain...
More than five years after North Korea's state-run grain stores were introduced, North Korean people say the outlets are operating more smoothly than in...
North Korea’s donju hand over rice and cash to the state...
North Korean authorities are pressuring wealthy private traders known as donju — loosely translated as "masters of money," referring to a class of entrepreneurs...
North Korea grain prices fall across markets as imported supply increases
Grain prices at North Korean markets fell across the board in late May 2026, reversing a sustained period of increases, according to Daily NK's...
North Korea grain stores more stable in 2026, but quality complaints...
North Korea's state-run grain stores are operating more reliably than in previous years, but the grain they sell continues to draw complaints about poor...
