North Korea – Still an intelligence problem

Just a short note about a paper I wrote after speaking on North Korea and the problems in analysing organised crime in East Asia at a conference in Adelaide, Australia. 

A few years after Kim Jong Un came into office, North Korea is still
attracting controversy in the headlines, and political sanctions are still in
operation. Despite the harsh measures in place to isolate Pyongyang from
sources of money and luxury, the rulers are able to get what they want
using front companies or the help of other states. The reasons for this are
deeply rooted in the North Korean political structure. A network of high
ranking officials, their children, and political minions are grappling for
power and wealth. Beside the powerful Kim clan there exist other families
in North Korea whose loyalty must be secured with bribes. If the loyalty of
the influential families is eroded, the power base of Kim Jong Un is likely
to soon diminish. As a result, the North Korean government is searching
for sources of money. Illicit drugs may be one solution the ruling regime
find attractive to this problem, but there appears to be a twist: struggling
ordinary citizens are showing signs that they too are taking part in this
illegal enterprise. This is manifested by their willingness to become
involved in crime in the same way as the corrupt regime.

Read here:

Analytical Essay: North Korea – Still an intelligence problem, in: SALUS Journal, Issue 2, Number 2, 2014, Special Issue on the Storage and Use of Information in an Intelligence and Security Context – Beyond 2014. Charles Sturt University, Sydney, pp. 2 – 15.