North Koreans see the world through choco pies.
Forget about tricky global political maneuvers like sanctions and lectures.
It seems North Koreans are seeing the possibilities and opportunities that the world at large has to offer through Choco Pies.
The dessert is making its way into the country through South Korea and is often used as a bonus payment to North Korean workers.
The marshmallow-filled chocolaty cakes have garnered a reputation for being a sign of status and often resell for three to four times their original price.
As North Koreans see the true economic situations of their neighbors via the products coming from them, their own appetite for consumer goods increases.
Some even risk punishment by adopting fashion trends frowned upon by North Korean officials.
In addition to chocolate cake and denim, highly prized items on the North Korean black market include portable DVD players, South Korean soap operas, and mobile phones.
Getting anything past the North Korean DMZ is no joke. Bill Clinton referred to DMZ as 'the scariest place on Earth'. At nearly 150 miles long and 2.5 miles wide, it is the world's most heavily militarized border.
