North Korea has a reputation for being a so-called “hermit kingdom,” with an official ideology of “self-reliance” and little authorized contact between its everyday citizens and the outside world.

But the country’s roots lie in Soviet and Chinese support, and former North Korean leader Kim Il Sung once dreamed of and worked towards a nation that stood prominently in the “developing countries” circuit.

Now, those dreams have changed: Kim Jong Un largely sees friendships with other countries as an economic exploit — not an opportunity to become the leader of a pack, according to Benjamin Young, an assistant professor at