How the world learned to stop worrying and love North Korea’s bombs (opens in new tab)

North Korea’s economy grew 3.7% in 2024 according to the South Korean central bank – its fastest rate in eight years. Satellite imagery analysis by a South Korean think tank found that its nighttime lights – a proxy for economic activity – are glowing roughly three times brighter than they did five years ago, and not just in the capital, Pyongyang. It’s a far cry from 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic, food shortages, and sanctions were hammering North Korea, and Kim went on national televisio...