From: Foreign Affairs
Hastings details the ingenious ways in which North Korea has conducted foreign trade despite its political isolation. In the 1970s, the country’s diplomatic missions used smuggling, counterfeiting, and weapons trafficking to cover their expenses and send money home to support the ruling Kim family’s lifestyle. In the 1990s, after assistance from the Soviet Union dried up, Pyongyang’s overseas missions and trading companies sold heroin, methamphetamines, and counterfeit cigarettes. . . .
