Buzz
Recent nuclear tests and missile launches by North Korea have been highly inflammatory, especially with their claims of successfully miniaturizing nuclear weapons. While these actions are provocative, they pale in comparison to some of the unconventional and bizarre tactics North Korea has employed globally since the Cold War. Here, we explore 10 of the most peculiar ways North Korea has caused global annoyance or stirred international tensions.
10. Sending Threatening Fax Messages
North Korea frequently condemns perceived injustices and aggressive actions by the US and South Korea, often using exaggerated and absurd rhetoric. Their method of delivering these messages to South Korea has been equally bizarre—via fax. In 2013, following anti-North Korean protests in South Korea, the North sent a fax to the South Korean defense ministry, threatening an attack in response to the perceived insult. South Korea retaliated with a fax of their own, vowing to respond forcefully if provoked. The situation, while almost laughable, was underscored by the heightened tensions at the time.
This wasn’t the first instance of North Korea using faxes in this manner. Earlier that year, they sent faxes to South Korean companies in the Kaesong Joint Industrial Zone, blaming the South Korean government for the closure of the complex. This move appeared to be an attempt to incite resentment against the government.
9. Honey Trap Operations
When foreign nationals, particularly South Korean or Japanese businessmen and journalists, visit North Korea, they are assigned a handler. Occasionally, this handler is an attractive woman, leading to a romantic connection—or at least the foreigner believes so. After the individual leaves the country, they are informed that their handler has had their child. This places the foreigner under the control of the North Korean regime, compelling them to support the state through financial contributions, favorable media coverage, or direct investments.
This scheme, devised by Kim Jong Il, also serves a dual purpose. The children of mixed heritage are indoctrinated by the regime and trained as spies, enabling them to integrate seamlessly into foreign societies. These children are raised in specialized areas of Pyongyang, with all their needs provided by the regime. They are groomed as future assets and held as leverage.
8. Constructing Larger Than Their Rivals
At first glance, Kijong-dong (“Peace Village”) in North Korea, located just north of the demilitarized zone, seems like a charming farming settlement housing 200 families. However, upon closer examination, it becomes clear that the village is a facade designed to entice defectors from South Korea. Kijong-dong features a notable and exceptionally tall flagpole, which has a fascinating backstory.
In the 1980s, South Korea installed a 98-meter (323 ft) flagpole in Taesong-Dong, a village facing Kijong-dong, to display a massive South Korean flag. In response, North Korea constructed a 160-meter (525 ft) flagpole in Kijong-dong, making it the tallest flagpole in the world at the time.
North Korea also constructed the May Day Stadium, the largest stadium globally, in the late 1980s to outdo South Korea, which was hosting the 1988 Olympics. Additionally, they began building the 101-story Ryugyong Hotel, intended to surpass a 226-meter (741 ft) hotel built by South Korea. However, construction halted in the early 1990s due to economic crises and only resumed in 2008.
7. Sending Garbage Into South Korea
Tensions between North and South Korea peaked in early 2016 following North Korea’s fourth nuclear test. When South Korea used loudspeakers to broadcast propaganda and K-pop music across the DMZ, North Korea responded by launching balloons filled with propaganda leaflets and, oddly, garbage, such as cigarette butts. The trash was only found after some balloons malfunctioned and crashed, causing property damage and prompting military and police intervention.
Considering North Korea’s description of the South Korean president as “filthy” and the country as being governed by “trash,” their actions might have been an attempt to physically contaminate South Korea. Alongside cigarette butts, the balloons contained used toilet paper and other waste, which the South Korean military initially hesitated to acknowledge. There were concerns that the trash could be a strange form of biowarfare, but subsequent analysis revealed it was merely common garbage.
6. Drone Surveillance Operations
In 2014, South Korean locals searching for wild herbs stumbled upon the wreckage of a small North Korean reconnaissance drone constructed from commercially available parts, including a Japanese-made camera. They reported the find to the South Korean government. One individual had erased the drone’s memory card for personal use, so the exact photos taken by the North Koreans remained unknown. However, the crash site was near several strategically significant locations, such as a nuclear power plant. Two additional drones were found later that same year.
Despite being essentially modified commercial drones programmed to follow automated routes and equipped with cameras, these devices managed to elude South Korean air defenses. Their small size and mid-altitude flight made them difficult to detect on radar. In August 2015, South Korean jets attempted to intercept another drone, but inconsistent radar tracking allowed it to escape. In 2016, South Korean troops fired at a drone, which then retreated into North Korean airspace, suggesting some drones are remotely controlled.
5. Placing Ads in The New York Times
It’s unlikely you’d expect major Western newspapers to publish anything favorable about North Korea. However, they have run paid advertisements, as North Korea once purchased full-page ads in publications like The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and The Washington Post. These ads celebrated the accomplishments of Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, and the North Korean state, often with exaggerated headlines such as “Korea Has Given Birth To One More Great Hero.” The ads were widely mocked in the West and even sparked outrage among Muslims when a Middle Eastern newspaper ad described Kim Il Sung as a “Divine Man.”
These advertisements ran from the late 1960s until 1997, not only praising Kim Il Sung and his son but also promoting books he authored on Juche, North Korea’s national ideology. The ads were likely intended for domestic audiences, as North Korean state media would highlight them, falsely presenting them as foreign-authored articles praising the regime and its leaders.
4. Aircraft Hijackings
North Korea is currently detaining numerous foreign nationals abducted from various countries worldwide. These individuals are taken for their specialized skills or to train North Korean spies for overseas operations. One of the most notorious cases involved the hijacking of a Korean Airlines YS-11. On December 11, 1969, during a routine domestic flight in South Korea, a North Korean agent, posing as a passenger, entered the cockpit and took control of the aircraft.
The plane diverted its route and was eventually accompanied by three North Korean fighter jets. After landing in North Korea, soldiers surrounded the aircraft, and passengers were removed at gunpoint. North Korea claimed the pilots had flown to the North in protest against South Korea and the United States. The passengers were subjected to torture and brainwashing.
In February 1970, 39 passengers were released. However, the remaining passengers and the four crew members were kept in North Korea, likely due to their technical expertise or financial status.
3. Producing Fake Cigarettes
North Korea began producing counterfeit cigarettes in the 1990s, but the scale of these operations grew significantly in the 2000s. This prompted responses from both China and Taiwan, which seized fake packaging and materials bound for North Korea. Despite increased seizures, counterfeit Marlboro cigarettes from North Korea have reached the United States, becoming a persistent issue. Cigarettes are easier to counterfeit and distribute than other illegal goods, as they are often a lower priority for law enforcement.
While counterfeiting cigarettes might not appear highly profitable, a single shipping container can be valued at over $3 million. Estimates suggest that after covering production and distribution costs, North Korea could be earning up to $160 million annually from counterfeit cigarettes. Many of these factories are operated by the North Korean military, ensuring that the profits directly fund the country’s militarization efforts.
2. Global Insurance Fraud
Funding for North Korea’s nuclear program and its leaders’ lavish lifestyles comes from various sources, including arms sales, drug trafficking, and notably, insurance fraud. The Korea National Insurance Corporation, a North Korean entity, has deceived international insurers by staging accidents, such as plane crashes. The proceeds are then smuggled back into the country by North Korean diplomats carrying briefcases full of cash.
North Korea has defrauded some of the world’s largest insurance companies, amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars. This revenue stream has largely gone unnoticed, as companies like Lloyds of London and Allianz Global are reluctant to disclose their losses.
One notable instance of fraud involved North Korea’s claim regarding a helicopter crash in 2005, which reinsurance companies alleged was staged. Bound by North Korean law, the reinsurers faced a North Korean court ruling in favor of the claim. Recognizing the futility of the case, the insurance companies ultimately paid North Korea over $50 million.
1. Spreading Malware-Infected Video Games
While North Korea’s 2014 hack of Sony surprised many, given the country’s reputation as technologically backward, cyber warfare has long been a key part of its strategy. Like other nations, North Korea employs cyber tactics, but its methods are particularly unconventional. Exploiting South Korea’s passion for gaming, North Korea has covertly distributed malware-laden games, turning infected computers into tools for launching cyber attacks against South Korean infrastructure.
These games compromised over 100,000 South Korean computers, which were then used in a cyber attack targeting a South Korean airport. Investigations revealed that a South Korean game developer had acquired the game from North Koreans and distributed it to local companies. South Korea’s widespread gaming culture makes detecting North Korean malware exceptionally challenging.
