Pyongyang, North Korea
Dictator Kim Jong Il will have to do without iPods, Segways, and Jet Skis from now on. Those are just a few of the items the State Department listed this week as products the U.S. will no longer export to North Korea. The U.N. Security Council banned exports of luxury goods to North Korea two months ago, after the regime tested a nuclear weapon, but it didn't define what counts as a luxury. So the U.S. has made a list, which also includes Cognac, crystal, and Chanel No. 5. The ban is intended to sap the morale of Kim's inner circle. Kim rules by a system of reward and punishment, showering loyal generals and party bosses with expensive presents and shipping contrarians off to the labor camps. Most North Koreans are destitute and malnourished.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
July 24 editorial cartoonsCartoons Thursday's political cartoons include an abrupt summer recess, the return of Hillary's emails, and an ominous climate announcement
-
Bookish: delightful period detective drama from Mark GatissThe Week Recommends 'Cosy crime' series is a 'standout pleasure' in an Agatha Christie-style formula
-
While away a balmy evening under the stars at these pop-up screeningsThe Week Recommends While away a balmy summer evening under the stars at these pop-up screenings
