North Korean propaganda celebrates self-reliance as one of the defining values of the state, holding up everything from nuclear weapons development to economic progress as products of the country’s independence.

But the truth is that the DPRK has long benefited from foreign assistance despite its current reputation as a “hermit kingdom,” and that even includes help from its long-time nemesis Japan.

After the Korean War, North Korea started rapidly refurbishing Soviet munitions factories and machinery to jump-start the domestic munitions production industry, serving as one of the first instances of Juche, or self-reliance.[/p