North Korean leader visited Mount Kumgang on October 23, 2019. (Rodong Sinmun) The entity managing development of the Mount Kumgang tourism zone has begun a major personnel reshuffle under the instructions of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source in Pyongyang told Daily NK on Wednesday that the Kumgangsan Special Zone Development Corporation for International Tourism “has been carrying out a month-long comprehensive personnel change under a central committee order since July 19.” He said the comprehensive reshuffle was “a strategic measure to increase the efficiency of the development of the Mount Kumgang tourism zone.” Strategic measures to boost foreign exchange earnings According to the source, North Korea has been drawing up plans to accelerate the development of the Mount Kumgang tourism zone, a potential source of foreign exchange earnings, as the country’s need for hard currency grows. Accordingly, the authorities...

Remnants of North Korea’s balloons filled with trash are scattered in front of the Incheon Meteorological Observatory in Jeonjeon, Jung-gu, Incheon, South Korea, on June 2, 2024. (Yonhap News) North Korea recently launched its ninth trash balloon blitz against the South this year. Pyongyang is now working overtime to convince its own citizens through lectures that these trashy tactics are not only legitimate, but praiseworthy. A source in North Pyongan Province, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Daily NK on Tuesday that since the beginning of July lectures have been held at factories and enterprises in various parts of the country to inform workers about the waste dumping and explain the reasons for it. Most of the lectures are being held in areas near the border with China. “Piles of garbage are only suitable for puppets who are themselves human garbage and have become lapdogs for the U.S. Let’s dump...

In this clip from an anti-drinking video released in 2023, North Koreans are shown drinking on the streets. (Daily NK) Samjiyon officials publicly exposed underage drinkers and their parents during a recent ideological lecture, revealing the regime’s extreme tactics to control youth behavior. “On July 5, an ideological lecture was held for teachers and parents at Samjiyon Hall in the presence of officials from the municipal party committee. The lecture focused on strictly controlling the problem of teenage drinking and promoting the healthy development of children,” a source in Yanggang Province told Daily NK on Monday, speaking on condition of anonymity. According to the source, the lecture was organized by the municipal party committee to draw attention to the serious social problems of small groups of teenagers aged 13-17 drinking alcohol and teenage couples walking around holding hands in the evening, and to discuss ways to solve these problems. The...

A marker delineating the border between China and North Korea (Wikimedia Commons) A group of North Korean defectors in China has been detained by police while attempting to escape to South Korea, Daily NK has learned. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source in China told Daily NK on Monday that a group of about ten defectors were arrested while heading toward the border in Inner Mongolia in the hope of eventually reaching South Korea. The arrest came after the Chinese husband of one of the defectors contacted police. The woman had taken her child with her when she left for South Korea. But when the Chinese husband discovered that his wife and child were not at home, he informed the police that they were missing. Police immediately began tracking the woman and eventually found not only her, but the rest of the defectors in the group. They were all...

Image: DALL.E In a ruthless crackdown on dissent, North Korea has intensified its purge of party ranks this year, condemning officials who challenge state or party policies to political prison camps and other severe punishments. This aggressive campaign underscores the regime’s intolerance for even the slightest ideological deviation among its elite. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source told Daily NK on Monday that “unlike last year, many political party officials have been locked up in political prison camps this year as the country focuses on reorganizing the party with pure elements.” “The party reorganization is the state’s strategic measure to strengthen the ideological purity, organizational unity and unity of action of the entire party by strengthening the solidarity around Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un,” the source said. “Under these circumstances, expressing opposition to the party’s policies will be punished as a dangerous factor destabilizing the regime and an anti-national...

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un looks around the Vostochny space base during his visit to Russia at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sept. 13, 2023. (Rodong Sinmun-News1) Seven months have passed since Kim Jong-un declared the “two-state narrative.” During this time, North Korea has denied the concept of a unified Korean nation (removing related terms and symbols), carried out irrational sewage terrorism against South Korean citizens, and openly and covertly supported Putin’s war against peace on the international stage. Last month North Korea invited Putin to Pyongyang, effectively restoring military alliance relations and agreeing on comprehensive cooperation in various fields. The country also convened the 10th Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party (June 28-July 1) to discuss and decide on a broad outline for future policy directions. However, recent trends suggest that North Korea’s leadership may be slowing down somewhat where...

North Korean prepaid cards (Sogwang) North Korean authorities have taken a number of measures to increase the use of debit cards and promote electronic payments and shopping since the implementation of the 20×10 regional development policy. But North Koreans still find the cards inconvenient because they can only be used at state-run stores and because cash deposits and withdrawals are time-consuming. The Jonsong Card: Widespread but underutilized Multiple sources in North Korea told Daily NK on July 19 that just about every North Korean adult now has at least one “Jonsong Card.” The Jonsong Card, first issued by the central bank of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 2010, is a type of debit card that can be used to spend cash deposited in a linked account. Although well over a decade has passed since the Jonsong Card was issued, few North Koreans actually use it. This is partly...

The Kangwon Province Party Committee has rebuked a factory in Wonsan for its lackluster participation in rural labor mobilizations, Daily NK has learned. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source in Kangwon Province told Daily NK on Thursday that the provincial party committee’s organization and guidance department “recently visited the Wonsan Communications Cable Factory to conduct a large-scale struggle meeting.” He said the factory got into trouble because “it had received a four-day general mobilization order for weeding the corn fields of nearby farms in the first week of July, but it didn’t mobilize workers even once.” The provincial party committee’s organization and guidance department castigated the factory for failing to support rural communities and for passively implementing regional development plans. According to the source, the ideological struggle meeting was held on the morning of July 10 with the full participation of the factory staff. During the meeting, the officials...

The Eighth Plenary Session of the Ninth Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) was held at the headquarters of the party’s Central Committee from Dec. 26 to 30, 2023, according to the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Workers’ Party of Korea. (Rodong Sinmun-News1) Chongjin authorities recently held a lecture on adopting digitalization and information technology to develop the civilian economy. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Daily NK source in North Hamgyong Province said Wednesday that “a lecture for local factory, enterprise and group managers was held in Chongjin on July 6.” The lecture was held by the head secretary of the city’s party committee. The lecture followed the issuing of central committee guidance material on “enlisting and increasing scientific and technological abilities,” a task mentioned by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during an enlarged meeting of the Tenth Plenary Meeting of the Eighth...

FILE PHOTO: North Korean workers at a textile factory in Jilin Province, China, in 2017. (Daily NK) Rumors of problems between North Korea and China have surfaced with reports that Chinese authorities have recently made several requests to North Korean authorities to repatriate all North Korean workers in China. Some observers say this represents a strategy on the part of China to “tame” North Korea as Pyongyang moves closer to Moscow. Others, however, say that repatriating North Korean workers would not only inflict a mortal wound on North Korea, but also harm Chinese businesses. With great effort, Daily NK contacted a North Korean worker in China’s Liaoning Province – identified only as “A” – and asked whether he had received any orders from North Korean authorities regarding repatriation and the general mood on the ground. The following is the Q&A with the North Korean worker, “A.” Daily NK: There has...