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More articles by 'Peter Ward'
One step forward, two back: North Korea’s confounding new financial reforms
Reports suggest regional banks have more power than ever, even as state reigns in market mechanisms on national level
June 13, 2023
Poker face: North Korea tries new strategy in crackdown on ‘bluffing’ and lying
Penalties for poor performance and inability to fact check has made false reporting endemic, analysis of new law shows
May 19, 2023
Don’t have a cow, man? Now North Korean farmers can get one at oxen marketplace
Recent DPRK law creates legal market for the draft animal in the most significant agricultural reform in years
April 12, 2023
How North Korea’s decrepit tax system encourages illicit market activity
Poor collection mechanisms cannot fund state largesse, incentivizing even the military to seek cash from elsewhere
April 7, 2023
Friendship and family networks are key to getting outside info to North Koreans
Autocratic regimes atomize communities and increase suspicion, but some spaces are safer for sharing illicit info
March 13, 2023
Why Kim Jong Un’s farming ‘revolution’ will do little to curb food insecurity
At latest plenum, North Korea promised bright communist future but refused to address chronic structural issues
March 6, 2023
How North Korean state firms bend the rules to rake in cash from market activity
Newly revealed DPRK law details crackdown on use of special privileges to dodge taxes, embezzle funds and more
February 24, 2023
Blurred lines: Inside North Korea’s messy business ecosystem
Both state power and market forces shape the DPRK economy in ways that are only now coming into focus
February 15, 2023
Why North Korea is the ultimate sucker bet for would-be investors
Cheap labor and proximity to China are not enough to make DPRK preferable to alternatives like Vietnam and Indonesia
February 6, 2023
North Korea’s bleak budget for 2023 hints COVID and trade controls will stay
Officials expect just 1% revenue growth this year, betraying few hopes for improvements in pandemic economic situation
January 20, 2023
