An Oil Pipeline Between North Korea and China Raises Nuclear Concerns
April 5th, 2021
Via NK News, an article on a pipeline for crude oil between China and the DPRK: North Korea fired its way back into international headlines in March when it launched two short-range ballistic missiles towards the East Sea, sparking outcry from officials in Seoul, Washington, Tokyo and beyond. Back in 2017, the United Nations had had enough […]
Read more »Fears Mount Over North Korean ‘Great Leap Backwards
March 14th, 2021
Courtesy of The Financial Times, an article on how Kim Jong Un’s ideology of self-reliance risks causing food shortages and economic collapse: On the western bank of the Yalu in the Chinese city of Dandong, containers packed with medical supplies and protein biscuits stand untouched, prohibited from being trucked across the river and into North Korea. […]
Read more »North Korea’s Kim Jong-un a Rare Earth Trillionaire?
March 8th, 2021
Via National Interest, a report on North Korea’s mineral wealth: North Korea has been reported to have high concentrations of rare earth elements, and its neighbor to the south may be wanting to help to exploit these resources. After the historic summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in 2018, high-ranking officials from […]
Read more »North Korea’s Telecom System Called “Worthless”
February 20th, 2021
Via National Interest, a report on North Korea’s telecommunications infrastructure: It’s well-known that the telecommunications infrastructure in North Korea is less than robust. The country’s wireless networks run on 3G, which is two generations behind where the West is, and it’s not exactly simple to make landline calls, either. A recent report, interviewing people who have made many calls […]
Read more »North Korea’s Economic Crisis
January 5th, 2021
Via East Asia Forum, commentary on North Korea’s economic challenges: COVID-19 came at a tough time for North Korea, both economically and politically, and may have made a bad situation worse. While China’s sanctions implementation has let up somewhat, North Korea’s economic situation still became strikingly dire in 2020. As elsewhere in the world, COVID-19 […]
Read more »The Crackdown on the North Korean Market Economy: What Does It Really Mean?
December 1st, 2020
Via North Korea Economic Watch, commentary on some recent events suggesting a North Korean government crackdown against the market economy: Is the North Korean government cracking down on the market economy as such? I would argue that we are not quite there yet, but an ever-increasing number of news seem to be suggesting that economic policy […]
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.