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MOFA welcomes US Reps. Boyle, Salinas, Kennedy

Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung hosted a banquet for Reps. Brendan Boyle, Andrea Salinas and Tim Kennedy of the U.S. House of Representatives Oct. 7 in Taipei City,...

Taiwan opens representative office in Phoenix

Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung attended the launch of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office...

Interview: How bribery holds North Korea’s market economy together

A few years ago, two researchers – Dr. Andrew Yeo (Brookings Institution) and Dr....

MOFA welcomes Japan’s Kumamoto Gov. Kimura

The Oct. 6 visit by Kumamoto Governor Takashi Kimura and Prefectural Assembly Chair Koki...

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...

North Korean security agents raid homes of past Chinese phone users in border regions

North Korean state security agents in border regions are raiding the homes of people with records of having used Chinese-made mobile phones in the...

Satellite thermal imaging confirms North Korea running South Korean factories without authorization

On Nov. 5, the South Korean Defense Intelligence Agency reported in a closed-door audit by the National Assembly’s Intelligence Committee that North Korea is...

North Korea abruptly recalls trade representatives from China, replaces some with new officials

North Korea has abruptly recalled trade representatives from China and replaced some with new officials in an apparent bid to boost foreign currency earnings...

North Korea intensifies indoctrination promoting ‘complete nation’ status under new doctrine

North Korea has been focusing on ideological indoctrination to teach the public that it is a completely independent nation — not an incomplete, divided...

Central Committee launches probe after female miners complain of abuse at Unpa Mine

The Central Committee’s Discipline Inspection Department launched an internal inspection of Unpa Mine in South Pyongan province after female laborers at the mine complained...

North Korea’s wealthy pay premium for imported winter coats as status symbols

Puffer coats from foreign brands imported by state-authorized smugglers have become very popular with affluent North Korean customers at marketplaces in Hyesan, Ryanggang province,...

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