The North Korean productivity miracle

…brewing remains just about the only useful activity at which North Korea beats the South. The North’s Taedonggang Beer, made with equipment imported from Britain, tastes surprisingly good.

That is from The Economist, I cannot confirm this judgment.  Furthermore there is no North Korean great stagnation:

Talking to CNN, a South Korea government official showed the apparently innocent objects that the killer was planning to use to kill Park Sang-hak on the streets of Seoul. Two of them were pens, which apparently are standard issue among North Korean secret agents. The first kills on contact, injecting quickly a poison that paralyzes the victim and kills it within seconds. The second one fires one single bullet, a tiny projectile which is also filled with a killing venom.

But those two were well known by the South Korean’s intelligence agency. The third weapon, however, is completely new to them: a flashlight that has three holes. Each hole is actually gun barrel, which gets activated with the push of a button. One click and boom, you are dead.

The article, with photos, is here. And North Korea may soon be launching long-range missiles.

For the pointer on the first item I thank Nick Slepko.