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North Korean markets are stocked with more imported fruit and greenhouse-grown produce than they have been in years, but soaring prices are leaving many shoppers priced out even as the displays look more abundant than ever. According to a Daily NK source in North Hamgyong province, markets in Hoeryong and other cities have recently seen []
North Korea has ordered surprise inspections of civilian militias’ war readiness across the country, a move a source says is intended to raise domestic tensions ahead of the July 27 anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War. The order reportedly came down shortly after leader Kim Jong Un observed a weapons test on []
North Korean market authorities in Sinuiju, North Pyongan province, have begun requiring merchants to publicly display “item inspection tags” listing a product’s origin and sales permit status, a move some sellers say marks a further tightening of state control over the country’s markets in 2026. A source in North Pyongan province told Daily NK on []
North Korea’s plan to modernize coal mining towns nationwide is stirring hope among people living in some of the country’s most run-down housing in 2026, even as other North Korean people brace for the financial burdens such projects often bring. The plan was adopted at the second plenary meeting of the ninth Central Committee of []
The Workers’ Party of Korea secretary at a munitions factory in Chongjin, North Hamgyong province, checked into a sanatorium for 40 days just as a central party inspection team arrived in 2026, drawing accusations from workers that he was dodging responsibility for an earlier clash with the factory’s chief engineer over production shortfalls. A source []
North Hamgyong province’s party committee has launched a targeted inspection campaign in 2026 to root out the concealment of construction materials and illicit wealth accumulation tied to state housing projects across the province. A source in North Hamgyong province told Daily NK on Wednesday that central authorities abruptly ordered a joint, high-intensity targeted inspection by []
Rice prices in North Korean markets fell by nearly 20 in early July 2026, a Daily NK survey found, as seasonal supplies of alternative grains and a possible increase in imported food pushed costs down across the country. According to Daily NK’s regular survey of North Korean market prices, rice sold for 31,200 won per []
North Korean authorities have ordered officials in Nampo to overhaul the city’s administrative, industrial and public health systems to reflect deepening Russia ties, according to sources, as Pyongyang marked the second anniversary of a bilateral treaty with Moscow in 2026. A source in South Pyongan province told Daily NK on Thursday that the Workers’ Party []
I analyzed high-resolution satellite imagery of Paekam county, in North Korea’s Ryanggang province, and found that a hydroelectric dam has flooded part of a major North Korea railway line. North Korea responded by building a rerouted track and relocating two train stations to higher ground, according to imagery reviewed in 2026. The images show that []
North Korea-China joint ventures are shifting in focus, with Pyongyang moving beyond simply attracting Chinese capital and equipment to absorb Chinese production methods and management know-how. The shift suggests North Korea-China economic cooperation is evolving in 2026 from one-dimensional resource supply toward the study of China’s production and management systems. North Korea has been actively []
