NPR

Fuel Shortages And The North Korean Economy, Explained

A recent tweet by President Trump about long gas lines in North Korea reopens questions about what's going on in the country's opaque economy after several rounds of economic sanctions.

In his latest tweet about North Korea, President Trump gave leader Kim Jong Un a new nickname — "Rocket Man" — and seems to indicate he thinks sanctions on the country are working: "Long gas lines forming in North Korea. Too bad!" Trump wrote.

But are they, really? And what, if anything, could that tell us about the North Korean economy right now?

Here's what we know: North Korea gets most of its oil from China. "It's a clear fact that North Korea is being managed by China, up to the point that it can survive on it," Yang newspaper.

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