According to the article, it's not illegal for North Koreans to hold foreign currency.
I was in North Korea back in August, and bought one of each denomination as a souvenir. Guess they're going to be more valuable now.
Foreigners are not allowed to spend the North Korean won within the country. Instead, you pay in RMB, EUR, USD at locations approved to take foreign currency -- so we couldn't just go buy stuff at the same stores as the locals. Now I'm wondering how much of that foreign currency makes it back to the central government, given this news.
All of it. That was the exact purpose of similar measures and stores for tourists holding valuable and scarce foreign currency ("valyuta") in the Soviet Union (where I come from).
I was in North Korea back in August, and bought one of each denomination as a souvenir. Guess they're going to be more valuable now.
Foreigners are not allowed to spend the North Korean won within the country. Instead, you pay in RMB, EUR, USD at locations approved to take foreign currency -- so we couldn't just go buy stuff at the same stores as the locals. Now I'm wondering how much of that foreign currency makes it back to the central government, given this news.