Economy

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un addresses the Central Committee of the Workers' Party on Dec. 28.
N Korea at crossroads

Kim Jong Un urges rural growth ahead of 10th anniversary in power

North Korean leader unveils new road map to fight food shortage amid COVID

30 December 2021
Buildings in North Korea are seen behind the Friendship Bridge in Dandong, China. The bridge is one of the few ways to enter or leave the North.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea braces for economic winter as omicron cuts off trade

A decade later, Kim Jong Un continues policy of suppression over development

21 December 2021
A North Korean soldier patrols the border with China in April. The regime closed the border in January 2020, a move that sharply curtailed trade.
Economy

North Korean economy shrinks 4.5%, worst slump under Kim Jong Un

Pandemic, sanctions and severe flooding inflict a triple blow

31 July 2021
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is struggling to increase food supply as the COVID pandemic keeps his country's borders closed. (Source photos by Kyodo and KCNA/Reuters)
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea food shortage turns into new Asia humanitarian crisis

Regime clamps down on hoarding as rationing system on verge of collapse

21 July 2021
The Friendship Bridge and the Broken Bridge are illuminated at night over the Yalu River, which separates the North Korean city of Sinuiju from Dandong in China.
Economy

North Korean trade with China continues to shrink, dropping 84%

Pyongyang's commerce with top partner hits 'standstill' on pandemic restrictions

18 July 2021
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks to the Workers' Party Politburo on July 5. He appears to have lost some weight since the beginning of the year.
N Korea at crossroads

Kim warns North Korea food crisis threatens state security

Leader assuages public with removal of key party officials and weight loss

6 July 2021
Members of the Workers' Party of Korea gather at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang on Nov. 20, 2020.
Economy

North Korea fears decline in party loyalty amid COVID recession

Kim Jong Un speaks of 'Arduous March' in reference to 1990s famine

12 April 2021
Russian diplomats and family members use a hand-pushed rail trolley to leave North Korea. (Photo from Russian foreign ministry's Telegram account)
N Korea at crossroads

Foreign diplomats flee North Korea amid food and drug shortages

Pyongyang's yearlong border closure with China raises starvation fears

3 April 2021
A missile launch by North Korea in March 2021. The country likely has the ability to mount missiles with nuclear warheads, a U.N. panel says.  
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea can likely arm missiles with nuclear warheads: UN

Pyongyang steals $315m in virtual assets to fund weapons development

1 April 2021
The Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, taken from the Chinese side, is the main trade route between the two countries. (Photo by Shin Watanabe)
N Korea at crossroads

China and North Korea to revive trade in April amid US tension

New bridge between two set to open as Beijing seen giving Pyongyang helping hand

30 March 2021
North Korean President Kim Jong Un at the Workers' Party Congress in Pyongyang: the isolated regime faces a major economic setback from closing its border with China over the coronavirus.
International relations

Border lockdown strains North Korean economy to breaking point

Shortages amid plunging trade could force Pyongyang to seek help from China

19 February 2021
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un blamed officials for the country's economic struggles at this week's Central Committee meeting.
N Korea at crossroads

Kim Jong Un lashes out at cabinet over economy, with US unengaged

North Korean leader sacks top economic official appointed a month ago

13 February 2021
The China-North Korea Friendship Bridge is a vital trade link. North Korea closed the border in January 2020 as coronavirus cases rose in China.
N Korea at crossroads

Key North Korea factory shuts down from COVID-19 parts shortage

Border closing with China deals heavy economic blow to Pyongyang

8 February 2021
Vendors at this fish market in Dandong, China, say that none of the seafood comes from North Korea. (Photo by Shin Watanabe)
N Korea at crossroads

Stranded North Koreans in China keep earning for homeland

Tens of thousands of workers unable to return home due to border closure

22 October 2020
The Asia-Pacific is wondering what a victory by Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden in the U.S. election on Nov. 3 would mean for American policy in the region after four years of President Donald Trump.
Asia Insight

What would a Biden presidency mean for Asia?

From tech and trade to Taiwan and North Korea, Trump's legacy will weigh heavily

20 October 2020
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits a mining town damaged by a recent typhoon. (KCNA/Kyodo)
N Korea at crossroads

Kim Jong Un voices rare regret for pitiful housing

North Korean leader's admission comes during visit to typhoon-ravaged mining town

15 October 2020
Kim Jong Un's repeated visits to flooded regions seem to signal growing concerns about the nation's food supply.
International relations

Kim Jong Un pushes for swift flood recovery as economic pain grows

North Korea faces 'triple whammy' including typhoon and closed China border

16 September 2020
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un guides a Workers' Party of Korea meeting to organize the recovery from natural disasters in areas of South and North Hamgyong provinces in this photo released Monday by the North Korean Central News Agency.
Natural disasters

North Korea dispatches troops to rebuild after Typhoon Haishen

Production at Hyundai plant in South halted as storm hits Korean Peninsula

8 September 2020
Typhoon Haishen barreling toward the main southwestern island of Kyushu on Sunday is shown at satellite image released by NASA Worldview, Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS).
7 September 2020
High waves hit the shores of Amami in Japan's Kagoshima Prefecture, where Typhoon Haishen is headed.
6 September 2020
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends an Aug. 13 Politburo meeting in Pyongyang. (Korean Central News Agency photo provided by the Korea News Service)
Coronavirus

North Korea lifts Kaesong lockdown after coronavirus scare

Kim replaces economic official as two others promoted to Politburo committee

14 August 2020
At least 11 officials from six Security Council members have been targeted in a spear-phishing campaign.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea spied on 11 Security Council officials using Gmail

State-led phishing campaign also utilized WhatsApp: draft report

5 August 2020
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a military commission meeting in a photo released on July 19 by the Korean Central News Agency.
N Korea at crossroads

North Korea loses access to foreign cash as China trade drops 70%

COVID shutdown devastates tourism, with travel unlikely to resume until November

22 July 2020
North Korean citizens seen wearing masks in front of Pyongyang Station on April 1.
N Korea at crossroads

Seoul says there is panic buying in North Korea

Kim Jong Un conducts duties, but economy under pressure

7 May 2020
Kim Yo Jong, right, helps Kim Jong Un sign a joint statement in Pyongyang in September 2018: North Korean leader's younger sister could be handed over power in the event of an emergency.
Opinion

Change of leadership in North Korea threatens economic trouble for all

If Kim Jong Un dies, US and China competition for influence will heat up

30 April 2020