Exchange rates surge, then drop slightly… Yuan reaches 7,700 won
Exchange rates for the U.S. dollar and Chinese yuan in North Korea are showing unstable fluctuations. Recent reports indicate that in border regions between North...
North Korea extends strategic nuclearization to its navy
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the Nampo Shipyard and the new destroyer Choe Hyon on March 3 and 4, according to KCNA. Kim inspected...
Never-ending repression: The continuous purges and ideological campaigns of North Korea and other communist regimes
The historiography of communist states often portrays them as featuring cyclical patterns of repression and liberalization, of murderous crackdowns followed by calm and normalcy. However,...
The value of a being a Party member
(Part Two) The most important factor for advancement is never ability or loyalty. It is family background. If your parents worked in the security services,...
North Korea responds to Iran crisis: Will Pyongyang go down a path of “reckless survival?”
On March 1, after the United States and Israel launched their military assault on Iran, North Korea’s foreign ministry issued a strong condemnation. The attack...
Party Congress reaffirms rejection of reunification, South Korea is now an “enemy”
The 9th Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), which ended on February 25, reaffirmed Kim Jong-un’s position as General Secretary, solidifying his absolute...
The value of a being a Party member
(Part One) Every North Korean dreams of becoming a member of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea. Why? To be more loyal to the Party...
The threat of America’s isolationist faction and Korea’s autonomy faction to the U.S.-ROK alliance
For better or worse, whatever transpires in U.S.-ROK relations in 2026 and the remainder of the Trump administration will depend not only on decisions made...
Regime showcases new nuclear-capable rocket launchers ahead of Party Congress
North Korea showcased 50 nuclear-capable rocket launchers at a ceremony on February 18 ahead of the all-important Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers’ Party of...
Power, the dinner table, and the cold sea
If a fisherman working for Songhak Fisheries dies on a boat on the icy winter waters of the Yellow Sea, the boat does not return...
Can ordinary joy awaken the people of North Korea?
Today I went to the playground with my children. It’s already been three years since I came to South Korea, but everyday moments like this...
“Patriots who gave their lives without compensation” — Apartments in Pyongyang for families of fallen soldiers
Kim Jong‑un attended the completion ceremony on February 15 of a new apartment district in Pyongyang that has been specially built for the families of...
On Kim Jong-un’s “two hostile enemy states” theory and de-emphasis on unification policy
For two years now, one of the most written about and discussed topics among Korea watchers, analysts of Asian security, and international affairs experts in...
Remembering the Yeonpyeong Island bombardment
At 2.30 p.m. on November 23, 2010, the peace on the small, quiet, South Korean island of Yeonpyeong in the West Sea, was shattered in...
The people at the front are the poorest: The life of a Party member
Today, watching the news, I suddenly found myself thinking about North Korea again. There was the propaganda, once again declaring that “the Party devotes itself...
Party intensifies promotion of Kim Jong-un’s achievements… “Political study sessions sharply increased”
North Korea is intensifying propaganda efforts to highlight the achievements of Kim Jong-un ahead of the upcoming Party Congress, according to sources inside the isolated...
Erased yet feared: How North Korea sees defectors
On the screen in my home in Seoul, a report was airing about how North Korea refers to defectors. Actually, when I lived there, I...
Kim observes missile test… More than a technical display, a signal to neighboring states
On January 27, North Korea tested an upgraded large-caliber multiple rocket launcher system, once again stressing the need to “strengthen strategic deterrence.” The test, carried...