Some current articles on different aspects of North Korea seem at first glance to be quite unrelated. Take, for example, the recent article in NK News stating in part that a lack of linguistic skills holds back the field of study regarding North Korea. Then, a piece in the New York Times opined that perhaps Kim Jong Un pursued the development of nuclear weapons and intercontinental delivery systems for reasons beyond internal and external propaganda usage.

As disparate as these writings seem, there is a thread of commonality that ties them together, which I'd like to look at for further debate and discussion.