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 sees simultaneous drop in exchange rate and food prices… Due to fall harvest and Kim’s China visit
Recent developments indicate that both exchange rates and food prices have dropped simultaneously in North Korea. According to an investigation conducted by NK Times from...
State Security Ministry dispatches inspection teams to border areas during Kim’s China visit to prevent internal unrest
As North Korean leader Kim Jong-un embarked on a trip to China on September 2 to attend the military parade marking the 80th anniversary of...
Kim permits private car ownership… but not Benz and Lexus
After earlier allowing ordinary citizens to own their own cars, the government has taken high-end foreign luxury brands off the list of permitted vehicles. According...
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...
Soldiers killed in Russia honored as ‘Hero of the Republic’… Families relocated to Pyongyang
North Korea has reportedly awarded its highest honor, the “Hero of the Republic,” to several soldiers who died in combat in the Russian war with...
Soaring exchange rate drives up food prices
A recent surge in the U.S. dollar exchange rate against the North Korean won appears to have led to a rise in food prices. According...
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...
Secret police use defectors in China to catch remittance brokers
North Korea’s secret police agency is reportedly using defectors in China to identify and apprehend brokers who arrange payments from escapees to family members still...
Did Kim Jong-un’s ‘credit restoration’ order work…China, ramps up investment
Chinese capital appears to have recovered its appetite for investment in North Korea. After a loss of trust in recent years due to repeated breaches...
Crackdown on travelers in border area… Officials carrying confidential documents arrested
North Korea’s main law enforcement agency is currently conducting an intensive crackdown on people traveling to border areas for business trips. According to a report...
Ministry of Social Security investigating people over inflation and Russian war complaints
North Korea’s Ministry of Social Security has instructed agencies nationwide to monitor the movements of citizens for expressions of dissatisfaction over the dispatch of troops...