2017-10-25
Authorities in North Korea (click here) are issuing vast numbers of travel permits to citizens with relatives in neighboring China and requiring them to pay “loyalty offerings” in Chinese yuan, in a bid to obtain much-needed foreign currency for the sanctions-hit government, according to sources in the country.
North Korea regularly exports workers to Russia, China, and places farther afield such as the Middle East and Africa, but requires them to remit much of their earnings to Pyongyang, which is believed to use the cash to fund development of missiles and nuclear weapons.
Reports that the government is encouraging North Koreans to visit their family members in China and bring back thousands of Chinese yuan (1 yuan = U.S. $0.15) for the privilege suggest that the Kim Jong Un regime is employing new methods to skirt international sanctions aimed at freezing its weapons program....
