North Korea
Everything Palanor holds about North Korea, in one place: 16 public signals, what its economy runs on, how often America’s largest companies name it, the news that names it, and Country Posture. Every figure is computed from stored readings and carries its source and date.
AsiaAsia-Pacific
Country Posture
What North Korea’s economy is doing
Posture is being computed for this country. How Country Posture works.
Passport reach
Where a North Korea passport opens doors
The share of world GDP, outside North Korea itself, in the economies whose published rules let a holder of this passport in, as of October 2026. Palanor records the rules of destinations holding 88% of world GDP, from each government’s own list, and weights them by World Bank GDP for 2025. Rank is among 199 passports.
Work
0.0%rank 114 of 199
the right to work (free movement in full; treaty and working-holiday routes at half); 0 destinations in full.
Reach is shown here and not weighted into Country Strength: it rewards membership of a free-movement area or a treaty more than the strength of an economy. Entry is always at the border officer’s discretion, and conditions (length of stay, fees, age limits) vary. Method, sources and the full ranking: Passports and citizenship.
Palanor calculation from each destination government's published rules; GDP weights from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0), one year for the whole line, so it moves only when a list changes.
Discourse
How often S&P 500 companies name North Korea
1.8% list it in the risk factors of their latest 10-K. Names only, counted by fixed rules set before any document was read; a mention says the country came up, not why.
News
In the news
- Remilitarization: Remilitarization accelerates across multiple fronts
US evacuates bombers from UK as Yemen pushes near Bab el-Mandeb and North Korea tests hypersonic missiles.
Palanor Wire2026-10-05neutral
- Geopolitical and biological threats surface
Australia records first H5 bird flu mass mortality in seabirds as US probes NYT freelancer over North Korea coverage.
Palanor Wire2026-08-03neutral
- North Korea's Kim Yo Jong warns South Korea, says border loudspeakers to be ready within days reut.rs/4zLVCsS
Reuters · Bluesky2026-10-21negative · -warns
- North Korea tells border troops to take 'resolute action' if South threatens their safety reut.rs/4BdAIEB
Reuters · Bluesky2026-10-21negative · -threatens
- Seoul vows 'resolute punishment' after North Korea threatens new border measures reut.rs/4dKzjv1
Reuters · Bluesky2026-10-20negative · -threatens
- North Korea's Kim Yo Jong says loudspeaker broadcasts toward Seoul being considered, KCNA reports reut.rs/4zJuRoX
Reuters · Bluesky2026-10-19neutral
- North Korea missile chief questions South Korea hypersonic glide vehicle test reut.rs/4jjtb0l
Reuters · Bluesky2026-10-16neutral
- North Korea says opening ceremony was held for new bridge to China reut.rs/4hPeu47
Reuters · Bluesky2026-10-15neutral
- China and North Korea have opened their biggest land crossing, signaling closer bilateral ties that could unsettle countries across the region.
www.semafor.com/article/10/1...
Semafor · Bluesky2026-10-15neutral
- Trucks line up as long-delayed China-North Korea bridge officially opens reut.rs/3TX44pG
Reuters · Bluesky2026-10-15neutral
- North Korea says it tested submarine-launched cruise missiles, KCNA says reut.rs/4js4kHT
Reuters · Bluesky2026-10-14neutral
- China-North Korea bridge to open on October 15 reut.rs/4jTOeGW
Reuters · Bluesky2026-10-14neutral
- North Korea test-fires tactical ballistic missile, KCNA says reut.rs/4zycbZe
Reuters · Bluesky2026-10-12neutral
- South Korea's military says North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters, adding to a recent streak in weapons demonstrations.
The Associated Press · Bluesky2026-10-12neutral
Headlines that name North Korea, matched by name with fixed rules (a wrong match is worse than a missing one). Tone is read from each headline’s own words; no model reads or summarizes an article, and other publishers’ stories link out.
Signals
Every series about North Korea
Grouped by theme, the most-read first. All 16 in the Library.
Energy and resources6
- Natural Graphite Mine Production Share: North Korearecord low since 2017; 1y −0.078 pts0.44%2025
- Natural Graphite Mine Production: North Korea39th percentile since 2017; lowest since 2019; 1y −1.2%8,000 metric tons2025
- Natural Graphite Reserves: North Korearecord high since 2018; 1y unchanged2,000,000 metric tons2025
- Tungsten Mine Production: North Korearecord high since 2018; 1y +5.3%2,0002025
- Tungsten Mine Production Share: North Korea1y +0.032 pts2.35%2025
- Tungsten Reserves: North Korea1y unchanged29,0002025
Migration1 of 3
- U.S.-Born People Living in North Korea (UN)record high since 19901,068 people2024
Peers
Elsewhere in Asia
Alphabetical. Palanor does not rank countries.
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