Via The Diplomat, a report on how North Korean hackers are likely to include new play-to-earn (P2E) crypto games within their illicit cyber-enabled financial schemes: Pyongyang has demonstrated growing interest and capability in exploiting new financial technology to obtain valuable foreign currency needed for its weapons development programs. Given the rising popularity in trading cryptocurrency, North […]
Read more »Via Noema, interesting commentary by Parag Khanna on how connectivity will undermine China’s efforts to backstop rogue regimes in Iran, Russia, and North Korea, while also creating a new and more constructive dynamic with all three: Between corralling like-minded states in Asia to counter Chinese influence, patching things up with Europe and nudging the Saudis into making nice with Israel, […]
Read more »Courtesy of The Diplomat, an article on North Korea’s plans to expand its use of renewable energy: Pyongyang has signaled an increased interest in using renewable energy to address its national energy crisis and economic challenges, which North Korean leader Kim Jong Un blames mostly on U.S. and U.N. sanctions. However, North Korea has only used its nuclear […]
Read more »Via Silk Road Briefing, a report on North Korea’s newest ski resort project: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been in the news this week making a rare public appearance at the town of Samjiyon, close to the border with China’s Jilin Province. While much of the Western media commentary was full of barbs criticizing […]
Read more »Courtesy of The Diplomat, a report on North Korea’s climate change challenges: North Korea is at a crossroads. Its already weak economy continues to suffer as a result of the ongoing pandemic even while natural disasters wreak havoc throughout the country. Severe rains and flooding over the past year have forced Pyongyang to take a […]
Read more »Via Bloomberg, a report on Kim’s strange currency surge: In normal economies, currencies weaken in times of difficulty, but something counter-intuitive is happening in North Korea: the won is surging just as things are getting worse. Kim Jong Un’s country has been hit by the toughest sanctions in its history, massive flood damage and an unprecedented pandemic that cut […]
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