Officially, North Korea’s top exports are coal and textiles, but its business dealings go beyond those products, extending to arms sales and exported labor.

The United Nations estimates that more than 50,000 North Korean workers are employed in foreign countries, mostly in China and Russia, but also in countries like Malaysia, Qatar, Ethiopia and Poland.

The regime makes between $1.2 billion and $2.3 billion from its citizens’ labor, mostly in the forestry and construction sector. For comparison, North Korea’s recorded trade volume was $6.5 billion last year.

North Korea also made $300 million in arms sales in 2015, according to South Korean sources.

Arms shipments have been intercepted to some of its clients — a list which includes a Syrian government agency, Egypt, Yemen and Cuba.

The secretive state has lucrative commercial relationships with several African countries, and goods traded with North Korea across Africa amount to more than $100 million a year.

The UN is investigating seven African countries for possible violations of its sanctions on North Korea, such as commissioning construction projects and buying arms.

North Korean-owned enterprise Mansudae Overseas Projects is reportedly behind much of the commercial activity in Africa. Some of its projects include construction work in Namibia, as well as giant statues, mostly of African revolutionary leaders.

The UN cracked down on North Korea’s sales of its huge socialist-style statues this year in response to a nuclear test it conducted in September.

Source: cnbc china
North Korea still has plenty of options as it faces new sanctions and a frosty Beijing