The low status and sorry life of scientists in North Korea
“Plant your feet firmly on your own soil, and set your eyes upon the world.” There is not a single university student in North Korea...
Pressure on all citizens to supply fertilizer creates a clandestine trade
Fertilizer has recently become a significant commodity in North Korea. Sources reached in the northern provinces bordering on China say that the official setting of...
2026 calendars reveal regime priorities: Nuclear weapons, hereditary rule, and tourism
North Korea has unveiled its 2026 New Year calendars and, true to form, they feature beautiful scenery and missiles. That is because, in the isolated,...
My life, and the lives of Koreans who relocated from Japan to North Korea
I sometimes wonder how it would have been if South Korea had not been a nation of single ethnicity but a multi-ethnic country. Would I...
For children, learning loyalty to the leader is more important than classes
Children born in North Korea grow up with the word “loyalty” from their earliest years. This word does not refer simply to moral education or...
New system for distribution grain to farmers based on performance, Not everyone is happy
North Korea has changed its method of grain distribution in collective farms, but the new system that began this fall is already causing problems. The...
The criminalizing of divorce to maintain the fiction of the happy socialist society
In North Korea, marriage is considered a lifelong bond, but the cultural and political framework transforms it into a tool of state control.Divorce is not...
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...