China Eyes Sea of Japan Access via Russia-North Korea Border River
June 14th, 2024
Via Nikkei Asia, a report on a proposal that China could access the Sea of Japan via a Russia-North Korea border river: China, Russia and North Korea are expected to start discussions soon about allowing ships to navigate a border river into the Sea of Japan, which could have major security implications for Tokyo. The […]
Read more »North Korea’s “National Defence Industrial Enterprise”
April 29th, 2024
Via 38 North, a look at North Korea’s “National Defence Industrial Enterprise” from a domestic economic perspective: On April 26, North Korean media mentioned a “newly established national defence industrial enterprise under the Second Economy Commission” while reporting that Kim Jong Un, on the previous day, had watched “the evaluation test-fire” of a 240-mm multiple rocket launcher […]
Read more »North Korea’s Pop Culture vs. South Korea’s
April 27th, 2024
Via The Economist, a look at why South Korean pop culture rocks and North Korea’s does not: North korea’s rulers have always had strong views on art. Kim Il Sung, the regime’s founding despot, said artists should “arouse burning hatred for the enemy through their works”. His son and successor, Kim Jong Il, was such a […]
Read more »The Axis of Upheaval: The Four Power Threat
April 24th, 2024
Courtesy of Foreign Affairs, insightful commentary on how America’s adversaries are uniting to overturn the global order: In the early morning of January 2, Russian forces launched a massive missile attack on the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Kharkiv that killed at least five civilians, injured more than 100, and damaged infrastructure. The incident was […]
Read more »North Korea’s Increasing Isolation
March 27th, 2024
Courtesy of The Wall Street Journal, a report on North Korea’s increasing isolation: North Korea, already one of the world’s most isolated countries, has walled itself off further over the past years, data and satellite images show, with devastating effects for its population. Satellite images and trade data analyzed by Human Rights Watch document how when Covid-19 hit, […]
Read more »North Korea’s Economy In Retrograde
March 6th, 2024
Via East Asia Forum, commentary on North Korea’s economy: In 2023, North Korea intensified its political and economic development. Pyongyang is going back to its historical roots, dedicating economic resources to the heavy industries where it has a comparative advantage. Although Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un pays lip-service to the idea of raising living standards, the […]
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.