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Backpackers and Lovebirds Help Fund Kim Jong Un's Embassies

  • Embassies in Berlin, Sofia, Warsaw rent premises to businesses
  • Lease agreements violate UN sanctions on North Korea
Bloomberg business news

Inside North Korea's Business in Europe

A hostel in Berlin, apricot-hued wedding rooms in Sofia and a sound production studio in Warsaw are facing trouble due to their landlord: Kim Jong Un.

The private businesses have rental agreements with North Korean embassies in Eastern European capitals, providing income for his cash-strapped regime. The arrangements violate United Nations resolutions but the businesses are still operating -- and governments are struggling to terminate their leases.