The declining value of Party membership for women
Do women in North Korea go to the military? I am often asked this in South Korea. Yes, they do, I tell people. They are...
Russian military chief visits Pyongyang to discuss ideological management of North Korean troops
A series of meetings last week in Pyongyang between Russian and North Korean officials responsible for political-ideological affairs indicates an intensified focus on ideological loyalty...
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....
Feature: The way of Kim Jong Un
How is political upheaval in South Korea affecting North Korea? Soo Kim on what’s driving Pyongyang’s increasing hostility toward Seoul. Published with The Signal. Sign...
Feature: Obscured by clouds
Why does North Korea keep threatening South Korea and its allies without ever going to war? Michael Breen on theater and reality in one of...
Pro-North Korean speakers in South Korea oppose capitalism and the US alliance
The greatest speeches of the world's foremost political orators have often been collected in books, and many are also featured online, in some cases in...
Memorial for fallen troops in Russia war erected in Pyongyang
One year after dispatching troops to support Russia in the war with Ukraine, North Korea is constructing a memorial in Pyongyang to honor the dead. ...
Kim Ju-ae: successor or beloved daughter?
Questions have resurfaced over whether Kim Ju-ae, the daughter of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is being groomed as his successor or not. When they...
Economic development is just another burden for the people
The North Korean regime is currently pushing economic development under the banner of a “20×10 Local Development Strategy.” This plan aims to build industrial factories...
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...
All powerful Ministry of State Security expands remit to include foreign currency and border control
North Korea’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) is an extrajudicial intelligence agency responsible for national security and regime preservation that answers directly to the Supreme...
In North Hamgyong, farm households receive 5kg of newly harvested rice for Chuseok
Some farms in North Hamgyong Province have reportedly distributed newly harvested rice to farm households for the annual Chuseok harvest festival. This measure appears to...
Reunification has disappeared, leaving only hostility
When I lived in North Korea, our rivals in the South were depicted as “the same people, a counterpart we must one day reunite with.” ...
Venezuela’s “Foreign Legion” in South Korea
North Korea has had ties with Venezuela since 1965, but in the last two decades since the coming to power of dictator Hugo Chavez and...
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...