For about three weeks in December and January, North Korean state media and leadership devoted a great deal of attention to fisheries run by the Korean People’s Army and the soldiers that work them.

While North Korea has a history of occasionally praising and promoting specific sectors of its economy or social system, the timing of the focus on KPA fisheries was noteworthy because it is believed to be connected to the removal of Jang Song Taek. The reports also reveal that some sectors of the North Korean economy remain stuck in the old ways despite