A newly revealed document outlining North Korean customs regulations provides a glimpse into secret systems of control that the state uses to govern imports and exports.

Published by the outlet Daily NK, the text of the Customs Act in many ways resembles the regulations that one can find in any country around the world to manage the flow of goods across state borders: specifying restricted goods, customs inspections processes and so on.

The difference is that most other countries would not consider customs regulations so sensitive that they must be kept secret, and indeed most