Tag: smuggling
Pyongyang busts luxury smuggling ring selling to elite wives
A special task force in Pyongyang has arrested the manager of a foreign currency store and a trade official accused of smuggling luxury brands...
Satellite images show N. Korea dredging rivers on a massive scale
North Korea is carrying out large-scale sand and gravel extraction along its major rivers in 2026. Crews are deploying large dredgers and heavy equipment...
N. Korea border guard duty loses its appeal as bribes dry...
Attitudes inside North Korea toward serving in the border guard have shifted completely. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, soldiers could collect bribes for turning a...
Smugglers in Hyesan take up Chinese lessons
North Korean smugglers in their 30s and 40s are rushing to learn Chinese in 2026. The trend is driven by a string of financial...
North Korea vehicle smuggling stalls after fee hike
North Korea has restarted state-led smuggling along its border with China. But vehicle smugglers say a sudden fee hike has brought their business to...
North Korean dried seafood and produce flow into China as luggage...
The year 2026 has brought a noticeable shift in how Chinese customs officials treat travelers crossing the border from North Korea, with sources reporting...
Stricter border controls leave Hyesan foragers with nowhere to sell their...
Tightened border controls along North Korea's frontier with China have effectively shut down the mushroom smuggling trade in Ryanggang province in 2026, cutting off...
North Korea ramps up phone surveillance, stoking fear among traders
North Korean authorities in North Pyongan province have sharply intensified phone surveillance in 2026, intercepting both landline and mobile calls to crack down on...
North Korea tightens ideological grip on border areas ahead of China...
North Korea issued coordinated directives to party organizations, mass worker groups, and security agencies in border areas in June 2026, ordering them to tighten...
North Korea tightens watch on trade workers in China
North Korean trade workers in China are facing tighter surveillance as Pyongyang and Beijing look to expand trade following a recent summit between the...
