North Korea’s Criminal Activities in Africa Keep the Cash Flowing to Pyongyang, Experts Say

Proceeds of crimes including wildlife poaching and drug smuggling counter Western sanctions and keep its dictatorial regime in power, according to experts.

North Korean soldiers march during a mass rally on Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang on Sept. 9, 2018. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images

JOHANNESBURG—North Korean diplomats in Africa continue to run syndicates that are perpetrating crimes, including trafficking in wildlife, narcotics and weapons, smuggling of gold, diamonds and critical minerals, and trade in counterfeit cigarettes, experts have told The Epoch Times.

Money flowing from Africa to Pyongyang helps keep North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s regime in power and develop weapons of mass destruction, according to experts.