North Korea's Economy: The Truth Behind an Unexpected "Revival"

The narration said that Pyongyang's downtown has been changing rapidly, with its nighttime illumination in 2025 more than three times brighter than in 2019.

In Pyongyang's Hwasong district, four phases of construction produced 10,000 new housing units in a single year, a scale exceeding the new housing supply in Los Angeles or Chicago. Singapore's foreign minister also personally testified, via social media, to Pyongyang's development compared with eight years earlier.

Residents can now select and buy goods without connecting to a computer. With the introduction of a two-dimensional 10-star code, QR payment systems have become routine in large supermarkets and shops.

An official explained that through this system, residents can select and purchase goods directly without accessing a computer.

The National Security Strategy Institute estimated that from August 2023 through the end of 2025, North Korea earned $14.4 billion from troop deployments and military supply exports. Russia's surging demand for manpower and weapons triggered this large inflow of foreign currency.

According to a report released by the National Security Strategy Institute, North Korea is estimated to have earned up to $14.4 billion (roughly 20 trillion won) in foreign currency from troop deployments to Russia and military supply exports from August 2023 through the end of 2025. The number of deployed troops is estimated at over 20,000, and soldiers are reported to earn about $2,000 per month.

According to economic growth data released by the Bank of Korea, North Korea's economy, which contracted 0.2% in 2022, rebounded sharply to 3.1% growth in 2023.

Growth continued afterward, with the economy recording growth in the 3% range for three consecutive years, and North Korea-China trade reached its highest level in nine years.

This suggests that Pyongyang-centered growth is deepening the gap with the provinces, and that improvements in overall economic indicators are disconnected from residents' actual livelihoods.