I guess it’s more likely that they would know locals or someone who does than others in the region due to proximity alone, besides SK, who are on the other side of the DMZ. Supposedly NK main “industry” or economy output is counterfeit US currency, so that has to go somewhere. Maybe that’s why China is buying so much stuff, to have good cash flow to launder these bad bills overseas, and invest the profits in actual bonds instead? Not sure what the strategy is but I know it isn’t coincidental. Organized crime in the area has been happening in earnest since the Opium Wars at least.

It's not every day that you see pro-North Korean spy opinions on HN. But it's a lot more often than you'd expect.