Kim, the economy and why UN sanctions did not bring North Korea to the summit table

scmp.com/news

Although UN sanctions have limited growth, North Korea’s financial health – and the physical health of its people – seem to be stabilising

Image from, under the title: "North Korea's economy grew faster than the Eurozone last year"

Excerpt:

Park En-na, South Korea’s ambassador for public diplomacy, [JB emphasis] said the general picture was that North Korea’s economy was getting better.

“Kim has introduced many new elements to the economy. To some extent, they even allowed privatisation,” Park said. ...

North Korea’s economy-first focus emerged in April when Kim said he would start moving away from the “byungjin” policy, which calls for developing nuclear weapons and the economy simultaneously, to adopt a new strategy focusing on improving the economy. ...