North Korea's violations, such as its insistence on developing a nuclear program, have garnered major backlash in the international community. Despite the strict UN sanctions placed on North Korea, members of the Kim regime manage to live in relative luxury and have developed a nuclear program of worrying proportions. Bureau 39: Kim's Cash Machine examines the underhanded dealings the Kim regime employs to circumvent these international sanctions and maintain its cash flow.
One aspect that sets this documentary apart from others on the topic of North Korea is its focus on the financial angle. Thanks to an impressive range of interviews with various experts, defectors, and even North Koreans, the film presents a clear picture of the shady way the Kim regime makes its money. A brief overview of North Korea's economic history helps contextualize the current state of the economy and the criminal financial operation that spans the globe.
According to former officials and leaked information, money is brought in through a secret government financial institution known as Bureau 39. The extent of the criminal dealings of this bureau is startling. They're said to be engaged in everything from insurance fraud to arms smuggling to the exploitation of North Korean workers abroad. The dubiously earned money is then smuggled back into the country to line Kim's pockets.
Rather than focusing on the political ramifications of these criminal dealings, the documentary instead highlights the underprivileged North Koreans who are exploited and made victims of these schemes. Many North Koreans, particularly those in rural areas, experience extreme poverty. While the Kim regime enjoys the fruits of its illicit labor, much of the North Korean populace goes hungry.
Bureau 39: Kim's Cash Machine's primary goal is to expose the secretive yet effective money-making schemes the government employs, but it goes a step further. It questions who is complicit and who pays the cost of the authoritarian regime's fight for power and status. Recommended for academic library shelves used by political science and economics majors.
Discover more titles for your film collection in our list of political issues movies.