Party to hold annual review meetings early this year… Members fear public criticism
Ruling Workers’ Party members in the regions have been instructed to hold their annual year-end party “review meetings” earlier than usual and are braced for...
How our childhood gifts from the benevolent leader actually came from the sweat of our parents
When I was growing up, the most special days of the year were the Day of the Sun on April 15 and the Day of...
As North Koreans face economic hardship, Kim opts for further repression
Amid growing public discontent caused by economic hardship, Kim Jong-un appears to be doubling down on monitoring and repression by further empowering the powerful state...
In an era of greater control, North Korea is quietly fracturing
In recent years the regime in North Korea has steadily intensified its enforcement of the “socialist lifestyle,” tightening control over nearly every aspect of daily...
Security guard nabbed for thieving rice and corn from farm in South Hwanghae Province
A local worker has been arrested by police after a series of thefts from a farm in South Hwanghae Province. The worker reportedly used his...
Students forcibly mobilized for corn harvest after school
With North Korea facing more chronic food shortages, the regime is doing what it does best and looking to boost productivity by enlisting students for...
Inside the prison state
Feature: What’s it like to live in North Korea? Yumi Kim on heavy repression, secret phone calls, and virtual private networks. Published with The Signal....
Man killed in accident in Sariwon during rice harvesting
A man who had been mobilized for rice harvesting in Sariwon, North Hwanghae Province, reportedly died after falling from a moving vehicle. The accident happened...
Ministry of Social Security mobilizes nationwide to crack down on illegal grain distribution
North Korea’s Ministry of Social Security, the main policing agency responsible for maintaining public order, has mobilized across cities and counties to crack down on...
North Korea’s taxis are more than just a ride
As everyone knows, information in North Korea is completely blocked. No internet, no foreign broadcasts, no international news. All TV and radio are state-controlled. The...
Traveling on North Korea’s long-distance buses
I’m often asked whether there are city buses and intercity buses in North Korea. Yes, there are. But they’re not the kind of buses you...
Kim Jong-un’s special train: bulletproof carriages and luxury facilities
When Kim Jong-un traveled to China recently, he went via a special train. Or, to be more precise, a moving hotel. The moment I saw...
As young people embrace the finger heart, the regime is yet to respond
Korea’s finger heart, arm heart, and cheek heart gestures have recently gained wide global popularity. Now, reports suggest that even in North Korea, they have...
What sparked the new cheek-kissing trend between parents and children?
A new trend among young parents kissing their children on the cheek has reportedly taken hold in North Korea. The fad of parents sending their...
North Korea’s changing marriage culture…a choice not of love?
Marriage culture in North Korea is reportedly undergoing noticeable changes. While relationships across class lines have existed in the past, it is now common for...
North enforces crackdown during rice-planting season… Forced labor for offenders
Amid the height of the rice-planting season, an intensive crackdown is reportedly underway. Part of the regime’s broader effort to maintain social order, the season...
Women and young people targeted for “anti-socialist” fashion
Each year, as summer approaches, the regime turns its control up a notch and launches ideological campaigns about fashion and personal grooming. This year, true...
A prisoner is set free from a camp of no return… Does this signal a shift in policy?
The release of a woman from a “total control zone” labor camp, where prisoners are normally held until they die, has set her neighborhood buzzing...