North Korea’s market for foreign currency has undergone dramatic movements since the beginning of this year, contributing to a collapse in the value of the DPRK won that has major implications for the country’s economy.

Both China’s renminbi (RMB) and the U.S. dollar (USD) have surged in value relative to the North Korean won, which has lost roughly half its value against the two currencies since the beginning of the year, according to data collected by Asia Press. 

This represents a massive and basically unprecedented movement in exchange rates since 2012, when