Beyond Blockades: The Sanction Evasion Strategies of North Korea’s Authoritarian Resilience

https://doi.org/10.65161/recSeYSlu4ilsKMco

This research inquires how a heavily sanctioned state can endure and adapt by developing multiple evasion strategies. Using North Korea as a case study, the research examines how and under what conditions countries can adapt to the effects of international sanctions. The research relied on secondary sources, including United Nations reports, academic literature, news investigations, and a small portion of expert interviews. The key findings reveal that North Korea's authoritarian regime has made use of both external assistance and internal economic adjustments to keep operating under the United Nations and multinational sanctions. Key results highlight third-party “black knight” states that support illicit trade, the development of black markets and cyberattacks that produce hard currency and domestic control (propaganda, oppression, and resource distribution), all of which maintain regime stability in a harsh economic environment. The case study of North Korea shows that when a sanctioned country has access to third-party states, an illicit economy, and strong internal unity, sanctions are unlikely to accomplish their goals.