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More articles by 'Peter Ward'
Why North Koreans make the rational choice to accept state repression
The DPRK’s crackdown on foreign media can make ignorance the best option, but it also comes at high cost to the regime
Kim Jong Un’s plenum speech displays striking lack of new economic ideas
North Korea is prioritizing central control, rolling back reforms in ways that hurt markets and economic autonomy
In officially tax-free North Korea, where does the state get its money?
The DPRK has multiple revenue sources, including taxes, that have both positive and negative impacts on the economy
What the North Korean economy will look like over the next 10 years
Kim Jong Un will likely continue rolling back tepid reforms, with potentially disastrous consequences for marketization
How Kim Jong Un uses party committee memberships to manage Pyongyang’s elite
Political and military elites in North Korea appear to rotate in and out of power much more frequently under Kim
How has COVID-19 impacted North Korean market prices?
Foreign exchange, food and fuel all took different price swings during North Korea’s strict pandemic border controls
North Korea warily eyes the markets that now dominate food distribution
Recently revealed changes to the Food Administration Act suggest efforts to reassert state control over grain sales
Cold hard cash? Currency coupons give North Korea options with money supply
Inability to print cash likely behind coupons, but they also provide a safeguard for post-pandemic currency devaluation
North Korean coal: Sanctions and stranded assets
DPRK coal mines will have trouble making the kinds of profits they did in the 2010s even if the country fully reopens
What a seven-part series tells us about North Korea’s economy under Kim Jong Un
Choson Sinbo says North Korea need not reform or open up thanks to ‘precious strategic resources’ like nuclear weapons