Latest headlines from The Daily NK, covering world, with clear attribution and direct links to the original publisher.
North Korea recently held its 15th National Teachers’ Congress and touted “world-class education,” but people in rural areas remain skeptical that real improvement will follow, given persistent shortages of teachers and equipment and outdated school facilities. A source in North Pyongan province told Daily NK on Monday that central government authorities have issued directives following […]
The premise that the United States and other stakeholders in Northeast Asia should accept the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) as a de facto nuclear weapons state has steadily gained increasing support among North Korea pundits. Many argue that policy should shift away from denuclearization and instead focus on deterrence, management, and coexistence. The […]
The number of North Korean workers newly dispatched to China has risen steadily since July, as improving relations between Pyongyang and Beijing revive a labor pipeline that stalled during the COVID-19 pandemic. But rather than concentrating large numbers of workers at a single site as in the past, factories are increasingly hiring smaller groups spread […]
A young farm worker in Kaesong has been arrested after using a pesticide-spraying drone to secretly film inside private homes in the city’s Panmun district, prompting a citywide crackdown on drone use. A source in Kaesong told Daily NK on Monday that the man, in his late 20s, worked at a local farm piloting a […]
North Korean students in some regions are increasingly turning to smartphone apps to study English and Chinese in 2026. The trend is widening an education gap that already favors children from wealthy families. Middle and high school students in well-off households are pairing private tutors with language apps on their smartphones. That combination is widening […]
Elementary schools in Pyongsong, South Pyongan province, began collecting money from students within days of starting the fall semester, charging fees for a Sept. 9 flower basket ceremony and for cleaning supplies used to maintain portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il in classrooms, adding to the financial burden on parents just as […]
Pork has become one of the most expensive staples in North Korea since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, with prices now so high that ordinary North Korean people can rarely afford to eat it even once a year. According to Daily NK’s regular survey of North Korean market prices, one kilogram of pork sold […]
Electronic payment through smartphones is spreading rapidly across North Korea, with cash transactions increasingly giving way to digital payments in Pyongyang and other major cities such as Pyongsong, Sinuiju and Nampo, particularly among younger North Korean people. A range of electronic payment services now operate inside the country, including Samhung e-Wallet, Jonsong, Narae, Apnal, Saebyol, […]
North Korea has consolidated its foreign trade under officially licensed trading companies, sidelining independent traders from the import process. But once goods clear customs, it is still individual traders, not the companies whose names appear on the paperwork, who control how those goods reach North Korea’s markets, according to a source inside the country. A […]
North Korean workers dispatched to factories in China are paying monthly premiums for workplace accident insurance, but many receive little or no compensation when they are actually injured on the job, raising questions about where the money goes. A source with knowledge of North Korea affairs in China told Daily NK on Thursday that “workers […]
North Korean authorities in Chongjin, North Hamgyong province, staged a large scale public criticism session last month targeting nine young people in their 20s who were arrested for watching and distributing foreign videos. A source in North Hamgyong province told Daily NK on Tuesday that the nine young people, all from Sinam neighborhood in Chongjin’s […]
North Korea is working to acquire printing equipment and packaging technology from China. Authorities want to improve the quality of product packaging, labels and promotional materials. The move suggests North Korea wants to build its own production system at home. Officials appear intent on importing both equipment and technical know-how, rather than continuing to bring […]
North Korean authorities in South Pyongan province have ordered a crackdown on public complaints about Pyongyang’s construction drive. Following months of open criticism from people and officials, authorities issued the order in 2026, saying the project is draining materials and labor from the rest of the country. A source in South Pyongan province told Daily […]
North Korean authorities in Hoeryong, a city in North Hamgyong province, launched a grueling railway maintenance drive in August 2026. Officials mobilized factory and enterprise workers to strip out and relay the gravel bed beneath a stretch of rail line. Each worker also had to individually supply new gravel, a source said, and the demands […]
A resident of Hyesan, in North Korea’s Ryanggang province, lost their only source of income in 2026 after a neighborhood watch leader reported their illegal liquor-making operation to police. The report capped off a dispute that had begun over a mandatory labor assignment. The individual had run a home distillery for more than a decade, […]
