How rich is North Korea?

In the minds of many, North Korea has long been a country plagued by poverty. But in reality, this country is very rich.

North Korea has a wealth of mineral resources estimated to be worth at least $6 trillion. The hermit kingdom sits on a vast, largely untapped resource base, including iron, gold, magnesite, zinc, copper, limestone, and more.

Iron ore in Musan. Photo: Reuters

That resource also contains large amounts of rare metals used to make smartphones and other tech products.

In total, North Korea has about 200 types of minerals.

Although the country has abundant underground resources, how it can take advantage of its "heavenly gifts" is another matter.

According to The Economist, it is difficult to accurately estimate North Korea's potential underground assets.

In 2012, a South Korean research institute estimated the value of this asset at $10 trillion, much higher than that of its southern neighbor.

Leonid Petrov, an expert on North Korea, said that for decades, Pyongyang exported many types of minerals to countries such as China and the Soviet Union, but recently due to international sanctions, the country's export capacity has been narrowed.

According to this expert, due to the lack of suitable mining equipment and customers for rare metals, North Korea has difficulty selling what it mines from the ground.

However, mining remains the backbone of North Korea's economy, and many experts believe it is how the country manages to fund its military spending.

According to Vietnamnet.vn