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 […]
Read more »Courtesy of the North Korea Economy Watch, a look at the current state of North Korea’s economy: The Hanoi summit is just days away, Daily NK recently put out new market price data, and I’ve finally had time to update my dataset. There seems like no better time than the present to take a look at some of […]
Read more »Courtesy of The New York Times, a detailed look at how – far from the stereotype of total economic isolation – North Korea’s black market has brought a surprising degree of modernity and consumerism — for some: One Night in Pyongyang, around 9 p.m., my North Korean minder, S., and I pulled into the empty parking […]
Read more »Via The Wall Street Journal, a look at how South Korean businesses that once invested in Kaesong look cautiously across the border again: South Korean businesses poured millions of dollars into North Korea a decade ago, only to see their bets sour and Pyongyang confiscate their assets when political relations later deteriorated. As ties warm once again […]
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