A number of reports in recent years have linked North Korea to illegal wildlife trade, in particular the attempted smuggling of millions of dollars worth of rhino horns and elephant tusks across Africa.

But the DPRK’s trafficking in exotic animal parts is far from the full extent of this activity, with some of the most damaging trade taking place closer to home.

In a paper published this month in Biological Conservation, my co-authors and I explore how wildlife harvesting in North Korea, especially during periods of severe human hardship like the famine of the