North Korean Phone Money: Airtime Transfers as a Precursor to Mobile Payment System
By Yonho Kim
North Korea’s rhetoric has increasingly emphasized economic development since Kim Jong Un took power in 2011. After declaring completion of the state nuclear force in his 2018 New Year’s address, Kim announced in April 2018 a “new strategic line” that shifted from the paral-lel (byungjin) policy of pursuing both economic growth and nuclear weapons to concentrating on the economy.1 Furthermore, fully aware of the failure of the inconsistent market policies of his father and predecessor, Kim Il Sung, Kim has shown greater tolerance for market activities and introduced some economic reform measures, including increased managerial latitude for state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and farmers’ limited right to sell excess output at market prices. ....
[Source: UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEAC]
