Following a catastrophic famine in the 1990s, North Korea pushed to increase its agricultural production. Still, food insecurity in the region is alarmingly high.

The country was receiving food aid until 2009, and in recent years, corn and rice production has improved.

North Korea's disdain for modern technological intervention is, in part, a way to add more laborers to the workforce. More machines would mean fewer workers. 

Some farmers rely on relatively primitive methods to farm the land. The nation has historically struggled to produce the amount of fertilizer it needs.

Workers at Ongnyugwan, a popular noodle restaurant in Pyongyang, claim to serve 10,000 lunches a day.

The restaurant was built in 1960 at the request of the late leader Kim Il Sung.

Kim Jong Il opened the Pothonggang Department Store in December 2010 in what officials said was an attempt to improve living conditions in Pyongyang. The store sells electronics, cosmetics, food, housing goods, and more.

While comparatively wealthy citizens shop at the upscale store, poorer city residents buy goods via an extensive black market — often trading American dollars for products.

The 326 Electric Wire Factory in Pyongyang says it has 1,000 workers on any given day. When the Los Angeles Times visited in 2016, only 100 were on duty.

North Korea's major trading partner is China, to whom they sell minerals, metals, guns, textiles, and agricultural and fishery products. Russia has also started importing from North Korea. 

Portraits of the Kims — first Great Leader, Kim Il-Sung, his son, Kim Jong Il, and now, Kim Jong Un — can be found throughout the country.

Citizens are taught from a young age to worship their leaders as gods. 

The Kim Jong Suk Pyongyang textile factory, named after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's grandmother, claims to employ 1,600 workers, primarily women.

To manufacture silk, workers sort and process silkworms to produce silk threads. Officials have said they produce 200 tons of silk annually. 

The Ryuwon Shoe Factory in Pyongyang specializes in sports footwear.

One worker, Kim Kyong Hui, told CBS News in 2019 that "the respected leader Kim Jong Un has instructed us to closely study shoes from all over the world and learn from their example."

The Chollima Steel Complex is one of several North Korean steel complexes.

It was built by Mitsubishi when Japan ruled over the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. Production briefly stopped after World War II but resumed in 1953.

Wonsan, the capital of the Kangwon province, is a major port city. It is being developed into a tourist site with several attractions, though tourism is highly limited. 

North Korea allowed some Russian visitors earlier in 2024 amid the growing relationship between North Korea and Russia. It has also historically allowed Chinese tourists. 

Food scarcity was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

North Korea has a robust internal security administration that monitors its citizens. Officers in the Ministry of Public Security, the nation's law enforcement agency, function as a national constabulary.

Reports from the US Department of State indicate that North Koreans live under threat of human rights violations such as arbitrary arrests and punishments for alleged transgressions by family members. The government permits secret and unlawful killings of accused dissidents. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, North Koreans lived under strict rules and restrictions, some of which may still be in place.

In May 2022, Kim Jong Un blamed his own officials and their "irresponsible work attitude" for a surge in COVID-19 infections.

North Korean officials announced that some tourism activity could resume in December 2024, years after the COVID-19 pandemic first hit.

Though most other countries have reopened and resumed life as normal, North Korea has used the pandemic as an excuse to maintain harsh restrictions. Reports indicated that citizens were executed for violating pandemic rules.