North Korea

In a file photo, a woman stands outside a grocery store on a street in Pyongyang.

Citizens Anxious as Food Prices Fluctuate in North Korea

Even the capital Pyongyang is suffering major price shocks as rice prices rise nearly 30 percent.

In this file photo, a statue stands in front of the Juche (self-reliance) Tower in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.

North Korea Preaches Self-Reliance to Struggling Citizens

2021-06-11

Angry residents say self-reliance is ‘fiction’ and not a real solution to economic problems.

North Korea (the dark area) and South Korea at night are seen in an undated NASA handout picture from the International Space Station.

North Korea Diverts Electricity from Provinces to Keep Pyongyang Powered

2021-06-10

Construction projects in the capital prioritized as rural residents stumble in the dark.

A young North Korean dressed as egg falls during a performance for the annual massive propaganda spectacle known as a "mass game" held in Pyongyang, North Korea in a file photo.

Elite North Korean Farm Sells Chicken Embryos as Heath Supplements to Raise Cash

2021-06-08

State funds are so low that the supplier of meat to Kim Jong Un is hawking unhatched eggs as health supplements.

North Korean workers at a construction site in Vladivostok, Russia, in an undated photo.

North Korea Taps Workers in Russia to Fund Pyongyang Construction

2021-06-07

Workers complain that they barely make enough for living expenses but now must pay even more to their government.

A woman pays money to a cashier at a market in Pyongyang, North Korea, in a file photo.

North Korea Restricts Local Markets, Pushing Sales in State-Owned Stores

2021-06-03

The move hurts North Korean residents already struggling every day to earn a living, sources in the country say.

North Korean Capital Cracks Down on Illegal TVs to Prevent Access to South Korean Broadcasts

2021-05-25

Each Pyongyang household must report the number of TVs they own, and they face stiff punishments for hiding them.

US President Joe Biden (R) and South Korean President Moon Jae-in participate in a press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, May 21, 2021.

US, South Korea Vow 'Pragmatic Steps' to Reduce Tensions, Denuclearize North Korea

2021-05-21

"We both are deeply concerned about the situation," Joe Biden says after talks with Seoul's Moon Jae-in.

North Korean soldiers ride a truck loaded with grain in a file photo.

North Korean Security Services Given Food for a Year While Others Go Hungry

2021-05-20

The move is aimed at ensuring loyalty to the regime at a time of general hunger and hardship in the country.

An undated photo of Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Officials Scared After Sister of North Korean Leader Has Their Colleagues Executed

2021-05-18

“Devil woman” Kim Yo Jong orders probes of government agencies and executes officials who “get on her nerves,” they say.

In a file photo, North Korean Prime Minister Kim Jae Ryong is inspects the Nakwon Machinery Association and Yangchaek Bearing Plant.

North Korean Factory Hunts Down Workers Who Fled for Higher-Paying Fisheries Jobs

2021-05-17

With government pay so low, employees of a machinery factory skip work to harvest clams and crabs.

US Congressman Chris Smith is shown in a file photo.

Interview: 'Don't Give North Korea Veto Power Over the Free Flow of Information'

2021-05-14

Rep. Chris Smith urges South Korea to rethink its ban on sending leaflet balloons over the DMZ.

Sinuiju viewed from Dandong, China at night . The lights are on in the high-rise apartments across the Yalu River Bridge.

North Korea Orders Border City to Keep the Lights on at Night to Hide Economic Difficulties

2021-05-13

Sinuiju only gets four hours of power per day, but residents must show China that electricity is not a problem.

In a file photo, a North Korean man walks near a big screen on a street near a residential complex which is lit at night in Pyongyang, North Korea.

Hungry North Korean Construction Workers in Pyongyang Rob and Murder Citizens to Buy Food

2021-05-12

Residents living near construction sites in the North Korean capital must travel in large groups for safety.

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