@hightor,
I also have never been to North Korea; I only once talked to someone claiming to be North Korean online. Yet I have had a chance to watch some video clips that can't be found on American websites. I have also learn some info about North Korea's leaders from websites other than English ones.
I think its isolated economy is in the doldrums; only China and Russia want to do business with North Korea. Some companies in South Korea used to set up shop in North Korea; it stopped investing there once North Korea decided to turn against such investors from South Korea. Several Chinese companies are said to have invested there. I don't know if their business operations are still off and running.
It's widely reportedly that North Korea, faced with famine and nugatory economic growth, often relies on China's aid, particularly food and other daily necessities. China also buys coal from North Korea; America reportedly sent food to North Korea years ago with a view to mollifying North Korea. Taken together, there are no signs that North Korea's economy is able to take flight, thanks to a dearth of resources and poor government leadership.
Its political system seems to have taken a page from Russia's playbook, with King Kim presiding over the whole hierarchical system just like Putin, despite having drawn flak from some opponents trying to arrogate powers from Kim. To my knowledge, Kim has done his utmost to grind down opponents, gut institutions and nobble high-ranking military leaders. To that end, such top dogs are allowed to do anything in North Korea, such as attacking young girls who happen to be actresses and dancers.
Beyond that , North Korea is said to have found another way to make copious financial returns: they dispatch hotties to China to serve the rich, They can be found at places like pubs, hotels, beauty salons, and a place called Hui Suo in Chinese. I don't know if they also act like sex workers; I think most of them are not.
For all the talk of China's historical ties to North Korea, most Chinese citizens don't gravitate toward North Korea; some Chinese girls only hanker after South Korean dramas , songs, and movies. Having said that, BTS's popularity in China is limited, owing to the fact that China's draconian regulatory rules have curtailed South Korea's cultural invasion. You know Chinese TV channels used to buy lots of dramas from SBS, MBC , and KBS, which are the biggest TV networks in South Korea in terms of TV ratings. That gave China's leaders the screaming abdabs, affirming its believe that it's time to keep South Korean movies and dramas in check in China. Yet lots of recently-released movies and dramas from South Korea still can be found on lots of small Chinese websites.
North Korea only has one government-run TV network。 Some grandees living there are said to be able to watch foreign TV channels and visit the internet, I suppose.
