Nonconforming fashions and hairstyles are forbidden, with youth groups sent out to force compliance.
Export is strictly banned under UN sanctions forcing Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons program.
New concerns over product safety are leading to a preference for hard-to-afford medicines made in South Korea.
Defying sanctions, China has made gifts to Pyongyang of generators and exclusive hydropower rights on the Yalu River, sources say.
Treatment of the badges as commodities threatens leaders' 'absolute authority,' authorities say.
The Central Committee calls the weapons a ‘precious legacy’ of the country’s late leaders.
Pyongyang forms a special group to carry out surprise inspections of regular units and units on the border.
More than 2 million are forced to work without pay, most of them for the country's regime, a report says.
Only the children of high-ranking officials or wealthier families do not have to work, one source says.
Gooi Soon Seng, an attorney for Indonesian Siti Aisyah, says case against her is weak.
The campaign has forced private karaoke bars to operate underground, sources say.
Even those on work visas in China are told to return home to mark the anniversary or pay massive fines.
Security agents are cracking down on those who leave their registered residences to prevent others from doing the same.
They say CCTV systems are necessary to prevent thefts which drain companies and can drive them out of business.
Trial of two women accused of killing Kim Jong Nam resumes after nearly three months.
Families hold onto remains, including uniforms and dog tags, found on battlefields across the country, sources say.
The teens, many of them students, work 12-hour days for half of what adult coworkers earn, sources say.
