North Korea

North Korean State Agencies “Officially” Resume Smuggling Goods from China

Dry goods prices drop dramatically after Chinese imports flood the market.

This undated picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on March 4, 2020 shows workers disinfecting freight trains to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in Sinuiju, North Pyongan Province.

China Secretly Sends Food Aid to North Korea by Rail

2021-04-20

The 300 tons of corn is the first cargo to cross the Sino-Korean border in more than a year.

The Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea hosts a banquet in honor of the participants in the 5th National Conference of War Veterans, in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang July 30, 2018.

North Korea Gives Extra Food to Veterans for Former Leader’s Birthday

2021-04-16

Government pats itself on the back for ordering local governments to give out extra food they don’t have.

A freight train is seen on the Friendship Bridge over the Yalu River which connects the Chinese city of Dandong with Sinuiju in North Korea in a file photo.

North Korea Builds New Rail Route to Handle Chinese Freight During Pandemic

2021-04-14

The new route diverts Chinese imports away from Pyongyang to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Service personnel and civilian builders launch a ground excavation project for the construction of 10 000 homes in the Songsin and Songhwa areas of Sadong District, Pyongyang, North Korea on Thursday, March 25, 2021.

North Korean Capital Demolishes Many Neighborhoods for Kim Jong Un’s ‘10,000 New Homes’ Plan

2021-04-14

The effort to solve Pyongyang’s housing shortage leaves many residents of the affected areas homeless.

Locals view the rendered plans of a neighborhood during a ground excavation project for the construction of 10,000 homes in the Songsin and Songhwa areas of Sadong District, Pyongyang, North Korea on Thursday, March 25, 2021.

North Korea Mobilizes Women to Solve Construction Labor Shortage

2021-04-12

Pressed to deliver 10,000 houses by year’s end, authorities drag women away from their familial responsibilities to work at night.

In this Tuesday, July 16, 2019, photo, North Koreans hold cards to make an image depicting a worker and a farmer during a mass game performance of "The Land of the People" at the May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea.

North Korea Tells Citizens to Prepare For a Famine Worse Than The 1990s

2021-04-08

Leader Kim Jong Un describes "the worst-ever situation in which we have to overcome unprecedentedly numerous challenges."

A North Korean monument viewed from across the border in Paju, South Korea on July 19, 2017 reads "Great comrades Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il will be with us forever."

Fearing Vandalism, North Korea Surrounds Kim Il Sung Monument with Electric Fences

2021-04-07

Authorities say that the fences are necessary in Sinuiju, a hotbed for dissidents.

A construction site worker stands over a ground excavation project for the construction of 10,000 homes in the Songsin and Songhwa areas of Sadong District, Pyongyang, North Korea on Thursday, March 25, 2021.

Fire at Construction Site in North Korean Capital Kills 20

2021-04-06

Construction managers ignore safety because they are under pressure to meet strict deadlines.

Chinese visitors look on from the Broken Bridge as a train travels on the Friendship Bridge across the Yalu river from North Korea to China, in Dandong, Liaoning province, China June 10, 2018. Picture taken June 10, 2018.

Trade Between North Korea and China Seen Likely to Resume in April

2021-03-31

Railroad workers are conducting safety inspections on a cross-border bridge and officials suggest an early April opening.

An official of the Hygienic and Anti-epidemic Center in Phyongchon District disinfect the corridor of a building in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Friday, Feb. 5, 2021.

North Korean Official Purged for Neglecting COVID-19 Quarantine Rules

2021-03-31

Unconfirmed reports of the North Pyongan party official’s execution are making other cadres nervous.

Visitors walk on the Broken Bridge over the Yalu river which separates North Korea's Sinuiju from China, in Dandong, Liaoning province, China March 19, 2021.

North Korean Ore Trader’s Death Highlights Pressures to Raise Cash for Pyongyang

2021-03-30

The rare-earth metals trader was under pressure to send home a million dollars despite Sino-Korean border shutdown.

People wearing protective face masks commute amid concerns over the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Pyongyang, North Korea March 30, 2020.

North Korean Survey Reveals More than 100 Deaths, 13,000 ‘Suspected’ COVID-19 Cases in One Province

2021-03-25

Authorities cling to claim of zero confirmed coronavirus cases despite ramped-up quarantine measures.

North Korean soldiers stand on guard at the Yalu River in Sinuiju, North Korea, which borders Dandong of China's Liaoning province April 15, 2017

Six North Korean Soldiers Cross River Border to Escape to China

2021-03-24

Military sources say life as a border guard is no longer as cushy as it was before coronavirus.

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