Tag: smuggling
North Koreans buy river water from pullcarts as pipes freeze solid
Cases of water pipes freezing or exploding have occurred throughout the northern regions of North Korea amid a protracted cold spell. Locals are taking...
North Korean market prices continue downward trend as currency rates fall
North Korean market prices have continued their downward trajectory, with falling exchange rates simultaneously driving down the cost of both grain and imported goods.
According...
North Korean sea cucumbers sell at premium prices in China despite...
While North Korea is prohibited from exporting fishery products under United Nations Security Council sanctions, seafood from the North, including pricey dried sea cucumbers,...
China cracks down on North Korean cigarette smuggling, but demand keeps...
Chinese smugglers caught trafficking North Korean cigarettes face steep penalties and prison time as Beijing intensifies enforcement against illicit tobacco trade, but Pyongyang's cigarette...
North Korean remittance brokers disguise themselves as traveling salespeople to evade...
Operators in border regions carry sweets and underwear to mask their use of Chinese mobile phones for money transfers, as state security intensifies surveillance...
Chanel products popular among N. Korea’s wealthy
Chanel cosmetics and perfumes are becoming the latest status symbol among North Korea’s elite, as wealthy people in cities like Hoeryong and Chongjin increasingly...
Elderly N. Koreans long for Kim Jong Il era as markets...
Amid persistent economic hardship, it is becoming more common for elderly North Koreans to long for the days of Kim Jong Il, as an...
North Korea’s wealthy pay premium for imported winter coats as status...
Puffer coats from foreign brands imported by state-authorized smugglers have become very popular with affluent North Korean customers at marketplaces in Hyesan, Ryanggang province,...
North Korea dramatically increases fisheries law penalties to combat illegal exports
North Korea bolstered punishment provisions in its fisheries law to emphasize "criminal accountability" in amendments made in May, with those caught illegally exporting fishery...
Hyesan crackdown sends currency traders to labor camps as regime tightens...
North Korean police in the city of Hyesan, Ryanggang province, have recently orchestrated a clampdown on money changers who trade foreign currency on the...
