Rudiger Frank on North Korea’s hidden middle class: North Korea Unpacked

NK News – North Korea News · Jul 23, 2026

This month, Dr. Rüdiger Frank joins North Korea Unpacked with Jacco Zwetsloot to discuss how decades of marketization have transformed North Korea’s economy and society, and why old assumptions about engagement and pressure may no longer apply. He talks about the emergence of what he describes as a sizable North Korean middle class, how smartphones, […]