More Than A Game: How North Korea Might Exploit New Video Games for Crypto
January 21st, 2022
Via The Diplomat, a report on how North Korean hackers are likely to include new play-to-earn (P2E) crypto games within their illicit cyber-enabled financial schemes: Pyongyang has demonstrated growing interest and capability in exploiting new financial technology to obtain valuable foreign currency needed for its weapons development programs. Given the rising popularity in trading cryptocurrency, North […]
Read more »North Korea Plans to Dig Deep Into Renewable Energy Alternatives
December 9th, 2021
Courtesy of The Diplomat, an article on North Korea’s plans to expand its use of renewable energy: Pyongyang has signaled an increased interest in using renewable energy to address its national energy crisis and economic challenges, which North Korean leader Kim Jong Un blames mostly on U.S. and U.N. sanctions. However, North Korea has only used its nuclear […]
Read more »Samjiyon: North Korea’s Newest Ski Resort
November 18th, 2021
Via Silk Road Briefing, a report on North Korea’s newest ski resort project: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been in the news this week making a rare public appearance at the town of Samjiyon, close to the border with China’s Jilin Province. While much of the Western media commentary was full of barbs criticizing […]
Read more »North Korea’s Struggle With Climate Change
November 2nd, 2021
Courtesy of The Diplomat, a report on North Korea’s climate change challenges: North Korea is at a crossroads. Its already weak economy continues to suffer as a result of the ongoing pandemic even while natural disasters wreak havoc throughout the country. Severe rains and flooding over the past year have forced Pyongyang to take a […]
Read more »Something Strange Is Happening With North Korea’s Currency
October 15th, 2021
Via Bloomberg, a report on Kim’s strange currency surge: In normal economies, currencies weaken in times of difficulty, but something counter-intuitive is happening in North Korea: the won is surging just as things are getting worse. Kim Jong Un’s country has been hit by the toughest sanctions in its history, massive flood damage and an unprecedented pandemic that cut […]
Read more »North Korea: More Connected To Global Markets Than You Might Think
October 13th, 2021
Via North Korean Economy Watch, a report on how North Korea is more connected to global markets than often thought: After a hiatus during the summer following my PhD defense, I now plan to get back to posting regular analyses and news content here. First up, an interesting example of why the North Korean economy is […]
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.