Tag: state-run stores
South Hwanghae grain store managers escape punishment after hiking rice prices
Managers of state-run grain stores in North Korea's South Hwanghae province pushed rice prices well above market rates in September 2026. Provincial authorities summoned...
North Korea’s local factory policy failing to reach rural store shelves,...
Students from the North Korean city of Sinuiju who were sent to support agricultural work in rural areas have returned home shocked by the...
North Korea threatens criminal punishment for diverting factory goods to informal...
The party committee of Songchon county, South Pyongan province, has ordered a complete halt to the flow of state-produced goods into informal markets, threatening...
North Korea launches app-based digital grain voucher system to control distribution
North Korea is launching an app-based system for rice distribution, with grain vouchers added to an electronic payment app on a trial basis in...
Shortened market hours push N. Korean vendors toward home delivery services
Marketplaces in parts of North Korea continue operating only in the afternoon, months after the official reason for shorter hours has ended.
While some view...
Cabinet price controls backfire as North Korean market costs surge
The recent surge in North Korean marketplace prices appears to stem from government-ordered price controls that have had the opposite of their intended effect.
Multiple...
North Korea’s model blueberry factory leaves locals without a taste
North Korea touts the Samjiyon Blueberry Drink Factory—which makes products from the blueberries that grow around the Mount Paektu region—as a model regional factory....
Grain prices surge as N. Korea enters annual spring food shortage
Grain prices across North Korean markets have begun climbing since mid-February, reversing the downward trend observed since December. With the arrival of the annual...
Kaechon stores raided over private salt trade as winter approaches
Inspectors from Kaechon's commerce department have confiscated goods from state-run stores after discovering they were selling privately-sourced salt and salted seafood. The crackdown comes...
N. Korean rice prices in Pyongyang surge to highest level since...
North Korean food prices are rising, with rice in Pyongyang reaching 6,300 North Korean won per kilogram on Sept. 15. This is the highest...
