Via 38 North, a look at North Korea’s economy: Although 2019 was not a good year for the North Korean economy, it was also not disastrous. Kim Jong Un will not be able to make much headway this year in implementing his vision of greater prosperity for the North Korean people as long as sanctions […]
Read more »Via The Asia Times, a report on how – despite sanctions – North Korea’s economy shows signs of virility: The earliest news to emerge from North Korea in 2020 covered two issues key to the Pyongyang regime as it advances into a new decade: loyalty and the economy. On January 5, North Korean state media […]
Read more »Via The Diplomat, commentary on the fact that – sanctions aside – many Chinese businesspeople are willing to invest across the border, but is North Korea ready to open its doors for them? Since Donald Trump was elected president of the United States, he has held several rare meetings with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, […]
Read more »Via CNN, an interesting look at North Korea’s Ryugyong Hotel: In 1987, ground was broken on a grand new hotel in North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang. The pyramid-shaped, supertall skyscraper was to exceed 1,000 feet in height, and was designed to house at least 3,000 rooms, as well as five revolving restaurants with panoramic views. The Ryugyong Hotel […]
Read more »Via The Diplomat, an interesting look at Pyongyang’s efforts to use social media monetization as a loophole to international sanctions: North Korea is famous for operating propaganda websites on an industrial scale. It is understood that North Korea currently operates more than 160 propaganda sites. These include news and tourism websites as well as online communities, all of […]
Read more »Courtesy of The Wall Street Journal, a look at how North Korea’s day-to-day commerce in the country has remained resilient, rice prices are stable and gasoline prices have eased: The U.S. has been leading a world-wide campaign to pressure North Korea into giving up its nuclear arsenal through an increasingly stringent sanctions regime. Available evidence suggests it’s not […]
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