Did Our Sanctions Build What We Feared Most?
International sanctions designed to cripple North Korea have produced the opposite effect, according to South Korea's unification ministry. Pyongyang's economy is now recovering as deepening ties with China and Russia create an economic lifeline. Air China flights and Beijing-Pyongyang rail services have resumed after six years, while military cooperation with Moscow exchanges weapons for technology. China accounts for 90% of North Korea's trade, and the UN sanctions regime has been paralyzed since 2017. The very tools meant to isolate Kim Jong-un have instead forced him into the arms of the only two powers willing to shield his regime from international pressure.
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