Dispatch   Pyongyang

All art in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is produced by the state, and is primarily controlled by the three main art studios in Pyongyang: Mansudae, Paekho and Central Art Studio. Mansudae is the largest art “collective.” Yet its sales are currently experiencing a low due to sanctions and the decline in tourist numbers. On August 5, 2016, after North Korea’s missile tests, the UN Security Council subjected Mansudae to a global asset freeze, effectively banning the