> But we can at least observe that if they're able to hack that quantity of crypto there is some kind of tech operation going on there, however small it might b

> But we can at least observe that if they're able to hack that quantity of crypto there is some kind of tech operation going on there, however small it might be. So they're not entirely shut off and they're able to penetrate at least a bunch of western crypto-startups. I once read a blog post or something from someone who claimed to have gone to North Korea to teach Computer Science or something. This article sounds like it covers similar ground: https://www.vice.com/en/article/z4m8qx/how-to-teach-computer-science-in-north-korea https://www.vice.com/en/article/z4m8qx/how-to-teach-computer.... Also, North Korea also has an elite. IIRC, a significant chunk of North Korean imports are luxury goods and modern consumer products to keep this elite happy.