Behind Pyongyang’s Boom
July 13th, 2026
Via the Lowy Institute, a look at North Korea’s recent economic growth which – while real – is built on Russian cash, Chinese trade and illicit activity: A June 2026 Wall Street Journal article described North Korea(Opens in new window) as “the world’s most surprising economic success story” – a claim many would instinctively dismiss, yet one that warrants […]
Read more »Chinese Businesses Hawking North Korean Labor
June 9th, 2026
Courtesy of the New York Times, a report that – on social media – Chinese entrepreneurs are touting cheap labor across the border, as trade between the two countries regains momentum: Quick deliveries of large orders for stuffed toys, fake eyelashes and crocheted bags that are made with cheap labor, including some workers who are […]
Read more »Built by Pyongyang: The North Korean Company Behind Africa’s Most Iconic Monuments
April 6th, 2026
Courtesy of Daily NK, a look at satellite imagery from Dakar to Windhoek which shows the scale of North Korea’s state-sponsored construction empire in Africa: North Korea has long relied on unconventional means to earn hard currency in the face of sweeping international sanctions that have effectively shut off most legitimate export channels. One of the more distinctive methods […]
Read more »How North Korean Built Its African Empire of Stone and Steel
April 6th, 2026
Courtesy of the Daily NK, a look at how – from Zimbabwe to Botswana – Pyongyang’s monument builders left their mark For decades, North Korea has generated foreign currency by designing and constructing commemorative monuments across Africa — statues, museums, and public memorials built for governments from Algiers to Harare. International sanctions targeting this network have curtailed […]
Read more »North Korea Eyes Slice of Russian Market Long Dominated by China
March 2nd, 2026
Via Daily NK, a report on China’s interest in Russian markets: North Korea’s ruling party instructed the cabinet’s Ministry of External Economic Relations in early February to pursue a new strategy aimed at securing a foothold in industrial sectors of the Russian market currently dominated by Chinese companies, a source in Pyongyang told Daily NK recently. The instructions came from the Economic Department of the Workers’ Party […]
Read more »North Korea’s Elite Ponghak Beer Appears In Chinese Market In Search of Foreign Currency
January 19th, 2026
Via the Daily NK, a report that North Korea’s elite Ponghak Beer is entering the Chinese market seeking foreign currency: North Korea’s Ponghak Beer, the beer of choice among North Korea’s elite, has appeared in the Chinese market. Alongside Taedonggang Beer, which was already widely known, and Tumangang Beer, an emerging contender actively promoted by […]
Read more »Focusing primarily on The New Seven Sisters - the largely state owned petroleum companies from the emerging world that have become key players in the oil & gas industry as identified by Carola Hoyos, Chief Energy Correspondent for The Financial Times - but spanning other nascent opportunities around the globe that may hold potential in the years ahead, Wildcats & Black Sheep is a place for the adventurous to contemplate & evaluate the emerging markets of tomorrow.