10 Unexpected Things North Korea Exports

North Korea is today one of the most totalitarian countries in the world. But it turns out that this closed state has a lot of export items, and very unusual ones.

(Total 10 photos)

Source: novate.ru

1. Coal

In May 2015, North Korea exported 1.8 million tons of coal to China.

As you know, China is the world's largest importer of coal. But where does China get millions of tons of this fuel from? It turns out that recently North Korea has become the main supplier of China. Despite an overall drop in the level of Chinese imports, supplies from North Korea increased by 25 percent - in May 2015, the country exported 1.8 million tons of coal to China.

Exporting natural resources is a fairly easy way for a totalitarian regime to make money without losing control of the population. Another benefit is that Korea's natural resource exports are not on the UN sanctions list, so the country can make money from coal exports quite legally.

2. Ballistic missiles

The export of ballistic missiles brings in tens of millions of dollars.

North Korea is also known for its provocative ballistic missile launches, which are usually attributed to "evil capitalist machinations." But North Korean ballistic missiles are used not only for this, they are also exported, bringing tens of millions of dollars a year to the DPRK budget. The export of ballistic missiles allows the government to continue producing missiles for domestic use due to economies of scale.

3. Arms factories

North Korea is building military installations in African countries.

North Korea is one of the most militarized countries in the world, with an army of more than a million people who, accordingly, need to be armed. North Korea's huge arms industry is another way to earn foreign exchange for a cash-strapped nation. The country not only exports heavy weapons, including rocket launchers and anti-aircraft missile systems, but also offers assistance in building arms factories for its clients.

Over the past 30 years, North Korea has been involved in the construction of two Ethiopian weapons factories and the supply of industrial equipment to this country. Given that the factories were developed in North Korea, only North Korea can provide spare parts for industrial equipment, thus forcing Ethiopia to continue to cooperate with it. North Korea has also built military installations in other African countries such as Nigeria and Madagascar.

4. Statues

The construction of a war memorial in Windhoek (Namibia) will bring 60 million dollars.

North Korea has built a colossal number of statues, as they are one of the means of propaganda in the country. Considering North Korea's outstanding experience in creating statues, other countries even began to order sculptural works from her.

For example, Zimbabwe recently paid $5 million to commission two statues of President Robert Mugabe. Also in North Korea, statues were made to order for Angola, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia and even Germany. North Korea's biggest customer is Namibia, which was awarded a $60 million contract in the early 2000s to build a giant war memorial in Windhoek.

5. Restaurants

Pyongyang Restaurant is a chain of restaurants throughout Asia.

Restaurants serving "authentic North Korean food" and traditional dances and songs as entertainment can be found throughout Asia. Interestingly, these restaurants are really Korean - in the 1990s, North Korea opened a whole chain of Pyongyang Restaurant restaurants throughout Asia. This made it possible to kill three birds with one stone: making money for the treasury, financing North Korean embassies in countries where restaurants operate, and money laundering.

6. Textile

North Korea has one of the cheapest labor forces in the world.

The border between China and North Korea is bustling with economic activity. It is believed that about a quarter of all residents of the Chinese province of Dandong do joint business with North Koreans. One example of such economic activity is textile factories, which employ exclusively North Koreans. The products of these factories are then transported across the border, where they are labeled "Made in China". Such a demand for manufacturing products in North Korea is not surprising - after all, this country has one of the cheapest labor forces in the world.

7. Counterfeit US banknotes

Counterfeit money - the fight against imperialism, generating income.

North Korea is the undisputed leader in the production of counterfeit banknotes. The US has previously claimed that its $100 banknotes are among the most secure in the world. But that hasn't stopped North Korea, which has bought equipment from Japan, paper from Hong Kong and ink from France. The new counterfeit money was so good that the US had to introduce a new $100 bill in 2013.

8. Labor force

50,000 North Korean workers abroad - $2 billion a year.

What North Korea has in abundance is people. But how can you monetize this “product”? Before North Koreans go abroad, their families are effectively taken hostage to ensure that the money they earn is transferred back to their homeland, as well as the return of workers home. About 50,000 North Korean workers now work abroad, sending remittances back home totaling nearly $2 billion a year.

9 Methamphetamines

Drugs are produced at state-owned enterprises.

North Korea has been dealing drugs since 1970, ever since the country defaulted on its international debt. Initially, Korea took contracts for the transport of drug shipments with the help of diplomats, using diplomatic immunity. She later began manufacturing her own drugs, most notably methamphetamine, which she began to trade through her embassies. North Korean methamphetamine is known for its high purity (99 percent).

This is not surprising, given that drugs are produced in state-owned enterprises under the supervision of professional chemists. However, since the mid-2000s, the purity of Korean drugs has plummeted, but volumes are still on the rise.

10. Nuclear reactors

North Korea tried to sell a nuclear reactor to Syria.

Perhaps North Korea's most surprising export was its attempt to build a fully functioning nuclear reactor for Syria, which Israel bombed in 2007. Had the reactor not been bombed, it could have produced enough plutonium to make one or two atomic bombs every year.