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Chernobyl 2.0: Here’s where nuclear disaster could happen next

Psychological prohibitions against endangering civilian reactors and other infrastructure are becoming dangerously thin ...

Tehran denies new talks with Trump’s envoys

The Iranian foreign minister is on a tour to “coordinate” with partners in Pakistan,...

Netanyahu reveals prostate cancer diagnosis

The Israeli leader hid the medical report for two months amid the war with...

US to bring back gas, electric chairs and firing squads for federal executions

The Justice Department says it will also streamline internal processes to “expedite death penalty...

N. Korea claims near-total elimination of underground churches and prayer groups

The North Korean authorities have recently begun patting themselves on the back for bringing religion under control, claiming that “organized underground services and secret...

Urban beautification projects eliminate public drying spaces for homemade heating fuel

As North Koreans busily prepare for winter, the number of households making their own coal briquettes for heating in cities such as Sinuiju, North...

Economic collapse forces parents to advise daughters against marriage

A North Korean woman died as a homeless beggar on the streets of Hyesan in Ryanggang province after her parents and siblings refused to...

State television touts mechanized farming while blackouts force workers to thresh by hand

As farmers around North Korea wrap up the fall harvest, most farms in Ryanggang province have been unable to use their threshing machines because...

Homeroom teachers compete over student bribes as class ceremonies become status symbols

North Korean high school students in their final year are increasingly putting on a variety of “graduation parties,” leaving parents who must now prepare...

Bag inspections and struggle sessions fail to stop Pyongyang students from celebrating South Korean custom

South Korea’s unique custom of couples and friends exchanging pairs of stick-shaped snacks on Nov. 11 has arrived in Pyongyang. Aware of this, the...

Farm labor shortages force North Korea to trap discharged soldiers in rural hometowns

A North Korean couple from different parts of the country—the man from the interior and the woman from the border—may have to call off...

Elderly N. Koreans long for Kim Jong Il era as markets wither and smuggling ends

Amid persistent economic hardship, it is becoming more common for elderly North Koreans to long for the days of Kim Jong Il, as an...

N. Korea bans trade officials from carrying cash abroad as foreign currency controls tighten

The North Korean authorities have intensified controls on trade officials who carry out or bring in foreign exchange, such as dollars or Chinese yuan,...

Forest rangers and desperate villagers clash as N. Korea’s reforestation push meets winter fuel crisis

Frequent fights are erupting between North Korea’s rural residents who illegally fell trees out of desperation to secure firewood for the winter and the...

Marketing revolution: N. Korean companies pitch privacy protection and free installation via text

Text message ads sent through smartphones are booming in North Korea, with users receiving over 10 commercial messages a day as companies compete to...

North Korea launches multi-child family inspection campaign as officials visit homes to renew certificates

North Korea’s Central Committee has ordered provincial party committees to pay special attention to families with multiple children, dispatching “visitation teams” to homes to...

Soldiers and civilians profit from “time of opportunity” as North Korea collects military rice

With the authorities collecting military rice supplies in agricultural communities throughout North Korea, the age-old practice of pilfering supplies on the ground is repeating...

Pyongyang’s calculated silence: Why North Korea won’t celebrate RFA’s shutdown

Radio Free Asia (RFA) may have suspended the production and broadcasting of programs into North Korea, but Pyongyang is keeping quiet about it, including...

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