Indeed, it's going to be kind of funny if things start looking up in DPRK thanks to trade with Russia while they keep getting worse in occupied Korea.

The report from 2023 focused on happiness, while 2024 focuses on whether people feel the country is moving in the right direction or not. They're not measuring exactly the same thing, but both things are obviously related. I'm not sure how good their methodology is, and how representative their sample is. It is worth noting that happiness is an inherently subjective thing that depends on tons of factors such as culture, expectations, etc. So, it's possible for people in a country that's relatively poor to feel happy because their needs and expectations are met.