North Korean Capitalism

Buckling Down in Dandong

By | May 14, 2017

As Xi Jinping waxes poetic at the “One Belt, One Road” summit in Beijing, we investigate messy realities in the the Chinese border city that would be the ideal hub for any North Korean participation.

North Korean Economic Change as Relinquishing of Party Control

By | May 03, 2017

To what extent is the opposition between market activity and Party control in North Korea overstated? Adam Cathcart presents a few caveats.

Falling Short: Financial Sanctions and Sino-North Korean Border Trade

By | April 06, 2017

Kevin Gray interrogates the usefulness of financial sanctions against the DPRK, highlighting ways in which such sanctions impact the development of the licit and illicit border economies.

South Korea Clings on to Fear of Kaesong Industrial Complex Future

By | March 02, 2017

A year after it closed, South Korea is still eyeing the Kaesong Industrial Complex. The issues are not only financial, but also emotional. Christopher Green translates a recent report about North Korea allegedly trying to attract Chinese businesses into the manufacturing zone.

One Year On: KBS Sends a Helicopter over the Kaesong Industrial Complex

By | February 10, 2017

KBS sent a helicopter to hover just inside the southern side of the North-South border and take pictures of conditions in the Kaesong Industrial Complex (KIC) a year after the complex was closed. Christopher Green reproduces their photos and translates the commentary.