Pre-reading questions:
- How does your country make money?
- Do you believe that a country can earn much money by trading goods? Please explain your answer.
North Korea is one of the most closed economies in the world but they find ways to earn money out of their people. According to CNN, North Korea’s main source of foreign currency comes from selling tons of coal to China every year. Not only does North Korea export other commodities and basic goods, but the profit they get from selling coal to China can finance their weapons programs as well. Moreover, news reports involving North Korea in hacking financial institutions in 18 countries was also reported by a Russian cyber security firm called Kaspersky.
A cyber attack on Bangladesh’s central bank was reported in March 2016. It was traced back to North Korea, as a Kaspersky researcher said that the same hacking operation has also been used in countries like Costa Rica, Poland, and Nigeria. Lazarus, a group connected to the robbery in Bangladesh and the attack on Sony’s Hollywood studio in 2014, was also blamed on North Korea by the U.S government. The North Korean government has denied these hacking accusations made by Washington and South Korean officials as well as security firms.
Vocabulary:
earn – to gain or get in return for one’s labor or service
currency – the system of money used in a particular country
commodities – a useful or valuable thing, such as water or time
institutions – an established organization or corporation
accusation – a charge or claim that someone has done something illegal or wrong
Comprehension Questions:
- How does North Korea make its money?
- Who reported North Korea’s involvement in the hacking of financial institutions in 18 countries?
- When was the cyber attack on Bangladesh reported?
- What was the group connected to the robbery in Bangladesh called?
- What are the countries that had the same hacking operation with Bangladesh?
Express Your Opinion:
- Do you believe that North Korea was involved in the Bangladesh hacking operation? Please explain your answer.
- Do you think that North Korea should open their economy to the global market? Please explain your answer.
- Do you think selling tons of coal to China is enough to fund North Korea’s weapons programs? Please explain your answer.
- Do you think that the U.S government should blame North Korea for Sony’s Hollywood studio attack? Please explain your answer.
- What do you think should Costa Rica, Poland and Nigeria do to protect their financial institutions from hacking?