Latest Study Guides for Ideological Indoctrination
The ruling Workers’ Party produced its annual Study Guide last month, which provides a rare window into political indoctrination and the devotion with which everyone from top officials to ordinary workers is expected to approach it.
Foreign Currency is Now the Key to North Korea’s Survival
Despite being closed off from the world, politically and economically, North Korea cannot survive without foreign currency. This, of course, applies to some degree to all countries in the international trading system. But ever since the 1994-1998 famine – which North Koreans refer to as the ‘Arduous March’ – foreign currency earning in the country has taken on a unique character. Not only has it become the key to the country’s continued survival. But the system itself that depends on it can no longer be considered normal.
The Rising Use of Cell Phones in North Korea: Catalyst for Change or Instrument of Control?
One of the few privileges I had as a child in North Korea was living next to a post office (referred to as cheshinso in North Korea). Since most North Koreans didn’t have their own phones at the time, they had to make phone calls at the post office.
DPRK’s Increasingly Vulnerable Regime Desperate to Block Cross-Border Information Flows
North Korea has a long history of blocking and suppressing information from the outside world, so after the country finally reopened its borders about three years after the threat of COVID-19 somewhat subsided, the regime’s subsequent attempts to further stem the tide of information flows have caused concern among North Koreans and others outside the country.
South Korea Bans Dog Meat but “Sweet Meat Stew” Still Cherished in North Korea
On January 9, 2024, South Korean legislators banned the breeding and slaughter of dogs for human consumption due to various factors like shifting cultural norms and international criticism of the consumption of dog meat.
Yet for many North Koreans and older generations of South Koreans, eating boshintang (dog meat stew) during the summer is an important culinary tradition.
For generations, Koreans have eaten nutritious, reinvigorating stews like boshintang during the hot summer months to restore energy, combat fatigue, and alleviate other symptoms caused by the summer heat.
Hundreds of North Korean Defectors Repatriated by China Face Miserable Fate
Chinese authorities captured North Korean defectors fleeing from human rights abuses and forcibly sent them back to North Korea, where they often face severe repercussions.
DPRK’s Reorganized Military Automation General Bureau to Manage Integrated Computerized Command Network for Entire Armed Forces
Recently, the North Korean military appears to have promoted the “Command Automation Bureau” under the General Staff to the “Military Automation General Bureau” as a solution to establish and manage an integrated computer system for the entire armed forces in light of the new deployment of strategic units within the military.
North Korea Has Cash Cards?
“There are cash cards in North Korea?” When I tell people that there are cash cards in North Korea, they look surprised.
In fact, North Korea has had cash cards since 2005, when the North East Asia Bank (a joint bank now called the KKG Bank) issued the Sili Card, which was mainly used by foreigners and the upper class when they paid merchants.
In fact, North Korea has had cash cards since 2005, when the North East Asia Bank (a joint bank now called the KKG Bank) issued the Sili Card, which was mainly used by foreigners and the upper class when they paid merchants.
North Korean Military Will Deteriorate into a Louder but Empty Vessel
On November 20, 2023, the Korean Central News Agency reported that North Korea declared its intention to “further accelerate the establishment of war deterrence capabilities” while condemning the United States.
Likeminded Countries Should Pursue Unified Strategies to Deal with North Korea
Former South Korean National Security Office Director Kim Sung-han emphasized the need for South Korea and the U.S. to exert pressure on North Korea by forming unified strategies with like-minded countries and avoiding dependence on China.
Rampant Bribery and Graft in North Korea
The international organization Transparency International publishes an annual “Corruption Perceptions Index” (CPI) to evaluate corruption in 180 countries and North Korea has consistently been ranked as one of the most corrupt nations worldwide.
Kim Jong Un Remains Engrossed in Self-Praise While His People Starve to Death
Following Kim Jong Un’s declaration in 2022 that North Korea is an “irreversible” nuclear weapons state, North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament met on September 26-27, 2023, and formally enshrined North Korea’s nuclear status in its constitution.
US-DPRK Tensions Escalate as They Support Opposing Sides in Two Dangerous Regional Conflicts
In the ongoing armed conflict between Israel and Hamas militants, North Korea has continued to criticize the US for supporting Israel. In an interview with North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister for International Organizations, Kim Son-gyong, asserted that the United States is an obstacle to international peace and security and should be expelled from the UN.