UN sanctions are crushing North Korea's economy, which needs energy supplies. In crisis, Kim Jong Un is trying to develop alternative energy to keep his factories running.
With President Donald Trump pushing hard to denuclearize North Korea, Kim Jong Un must contend with a major domestic crisis sparked by UN sanctions: how to fuel his ailing economy and military now that nuclear energy is off limits and the amount of oil and energy products he can trade has been restricted.
In the meantime, North Korea has been doing illegal ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum products and coal," according to a UN report. Its operatives have been caught by cybersecurity McAfee hacking businesses around the world. The vast majority were in the U.S., including Houston, an energy hub, though McAfee did not name specific targets.
Coal and hydropower are North Korea's main energy resources. Pyongyang imports nearly all of its oil and petroleum products from China. North Korea has pursued some limited crude oil exploration, but it has no proven reserves of petroleum and other liquids, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. And even though North Korea has a nuclear weapons program, it does not use nuclear power for electricity generation.
However, North Korea is inching forward to reduce oil sanctions impacts. According to research from the Nautilus Institute, a single gasification unit imported from China to convert coal to oil"could be used to produce synthetic fuels in volumes on the order of 10 percent of recent DPRK petroleum supplies."
Whether we're talking about coal or hydroelectric power, the bulk of North Korean energy is destined for industries or military operations. Ordinary North Korean citizens scrape by on cheap solar panels imported from China for their daily energy needs. Some North Korean entrepreneurs are even producing their own solar panels.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
North Korea's Kim Jong Un says country must deliver 'serious blow' to those imposing sanctions: KCNANorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country needs to deliver a 'seriou...
Read more »
Kim Jong Un vows North Korea will withstand sanctions pressure, prove self-relianceKim said his country should deliver a “telling blow” to the hostile forces imposing sanctions.
Read more »
Kim Jong Un vows North Korea will withstand sanctions pressure, prove its self-relianceKim said his country should deliver a “telling blow” to the hostile forces imposing sanctions.
Read more »
Kim Jong Un consolidates power as North Korea shuffles leadershipIn one of the biggest leadership shake-ups in years, North Korea named a new nom...
Read more »
North Korea's Kim says must deliver 'blow' to those imposing sanctions: KCNANorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country needs to deliver a 'tellin...
Read more »
China's Xi congratulates North Korea leader Kim for re-election: XinhuaChinese President Xi Jinping sent his congratulations to North Korean leader Kim...
Read more »
Pompeo hopes North Korea's Kim does 'right thing' on nuclear weapons in parliament speechU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday he hoped North Korean leader ...
Read more »