Many more North Koreans will starve this year due to the embargo of Russian nitrates and the disruption of Ukrainian and Russian grain production.
‘’Many more North Koreans will starve this year due to the embargo of Russian nitrates and the disruption of Ukrainian and Russian grain production.’’
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Its actually the exact opposite
Before the Yeltsin administration introduced a more market-oriented approach, North Korea’s economy had for many years relied on Soviet oil imports. The resulting structures for delivery and processing are outdated but still in place, including the huge Sungri (Sŭngni) Oil Refinery in North Korea’s Rason Special Economic Zone, with an estimated annual capacity to process 2.5 million tons of oil. If North Korea can resume oil imports at a pre-sanctions level, and maybe even at preferential prices, it might experience a small economic boom.
More fertilizer, more fuel and more refined products will mean higher agriculture and industry output. Thinking beyond the relatively small domestic market, it is also possible that North Korea could become a semi-official transit country for trade between Russia and China, and in the wake of international pressure would thereby provide a formal cover for the latter not to deal with Moscow directly.