Cambodian Growth through North Korea?

The In-Flight magazine on board Cambodia Angkor Airlines had an interesting article about foreign investment in the country. During the first 4 months of 2011, foreign investment rose 176% to over $2.5b in capital. That by itself is amazing, but the breakdown by country was shocking.

North Korea is in the top 10 with $17m in investment.

Last I checked, that country didn't have much money left after paying for military, nukes, and the whims of Kim Jong Il. The story from local people is somewhat different. They recognize that North Korea is a strange and isolated place, but the stance isn't aggressive. "Oh yes, they have a nice embassy just down the road" said our local driver. Feeling intrigued, we decided to do a Drive-By.

We approached the embassy and it was obvious by the two guards leering at us that they didn't want visitors. So, I rolled down the window and took a few pictures as we drove slowly. If we had stopped, I'm sure the police would have been called. If they found out we were Americans, I'm certain there would have been trouble. So, we rolled on by.

Later on I heard that some of the local North Korean restaurants are actually run by South Koreans...