On July 19, the United States Institute of Peace hosted a daylong conference that explored several transformative forces within North Korean society. The conference was titled: Informal Markets and Peacebuilding in North Korea, and included sessions on “The Role of Women in Informal DPRK Markets”, “The Impact of Remittances on Local Political Economy” and “The Role of Mobile Phones in Expanding Informal Markets.”

Sheldon Himelfarb, the director of USIP’s Center of Innovation, moderated the third session that focused on the role of mobile phones in expanding informal markets in North Korea. He began the conversation by describing mobile phones as