Celia Hatton

that any time they kind of ease their restrictions, they allow more people in, that's when we really need to start paying attention. And to allow tourists in on top of that, it really shows that North Korea is changing a little bit in the way it's thinking and the way that it wants to make money. So what does it tell us about North Korea? I mean, why now?

I think that North Korea, in some ways, is in a good place. It's feeling pretty good about things. North Korea has forged quite close ties with Russia, as we've been chronicling over the past few months. They're making a lot of money off of Russian ammunition, supplying weapons to Russia, supplying troops to Russia. So in some ways, the economy is stabilizing a bit.

I think that North Korea, in some ways, is in a good place. It's feeling pretty good about things. North Korea has forged quite close ties with Russia, as we've been chronicling over the past few months. They're making a lot of money off of Russian ammunition, supplying weapons to Russia, supplying troops to Russia. So in some ways, the economy is stabilizing a bit.

But that doesn't mean that North Korea doesn't need other sources of income, that they don't need to diversify. 45% of North Koreans are undernourished by outside estimates. So the economy is still suffering a lot.

But that doesn't mean that North Korea doesn't need other sources of income, that they don't need to diversify. 45% of North Koreans are undernourished by outside estimates. So the economy is still suffering a lot.

And that's why I think the North Koreans are looking for smart ways to try to bring in foreign currency, bring in outside money, so they don't have all their eggs in the Russian ammunitions basket. And what kind of tourists do they want to visit? Can anyone go? No. No, not anyone. Especially importantly, people from South Korea and the U.S.

And that's why I think the North Koreans are looking for smart ways to try to bring in foreign currency, bring in outside money, so they don't have all their eggs in the Russian ammunitions basket. And what kind of tourists do they want to visit? Can anyone go? No. No, not anyone. Especially importantly, people from South Korea and the U.S.

even require special permission from their own governments if they wanted to travel to North Korea. So it's closed off to a lot of people. I think primarily we're going to see Russians and Chinese tourists, people who can hop over the border to visit Lhasa because it is just right up in the north of North Korea itself, very close to the Chinese and Russian borders.

even require special permission from their own governments if they wanted to travel to North Korea. So it's closed off to a lot of people. I think primarily we're going to see Russians and Chinese tourists, people who can hop over the border to visit Lhasa because it is just right up in the north of North Korea itself, very close to the Chinese and Russian borders.

Yeah. And I mean, look, Luzon itself is a tiny little city. It's got 200,000 people living there. It's primarily an industrial port hub. It's got shipbuilding. It's got some mines. It's got an oil refinery. So there's not a lot to do. I don't think this is going to be a huge stop on the travel itinerary of many people. But

Yeah. And I mean, look, Luzon itself is a tiny little city. It's got 200,000 people living there. It's primarily an industrial port hub. It's got shipbuilding. It's got some mines. It's got an oil refinery. So there's not a lot to do. I don't think this is going to be a huge stop on the travel itinerary of many people. But

You know, it's a novel thing, especially if you're in China, you're in Russia, and it's kind of a new place to go.

You know, it's a novel thing, especially if you're in China, you're in Russia, and it's kind of a new place to go.

The authorities first became suspicious about this mother, a 34-year-old woman living in Queensland in Australia, back in October, because she'd brought her seriously ill baby girl into hospital. The child is about one. And they couldn't understand the child's symptoms. The child was severely ill.

The authorities first became suspicious about this mother, a 34-year-old woman living in Queensland in Australia, back in October, because she'd brought her seriously ill baby girl into hospital. The child is about one. And they couldn't understand the child's symptoms. The child was severely ill.

But when they ran some extensive tests, they realized that the child had ingested medications that really she had no... They couldn't understand why she'd taken these pharmaceutical drugs. And they alerted the police that something seemed off.

But when they ran some extensive tests, they realized that the child had ingested medications that really she had no... They couldn't understand why she'd taken these pharmaceutical drugs. And they alerted the police that something seemed off.

The police spent several months tracking this woman, who is a social media influencer, who had been documenting what she said was her child's terminal illness on social media and raising money. She'd raised about $40,000 for her child's care, or so she said.

The police spent several months tracking this woman, who is a social media influencer, who had been documenting what she said was her child's terminal illness on social media and raising money. She'd raised about $40,000 for her child's care, or so she said.

But as police watched what she was doing, they say that she had been going to great lengths to obtain unauthorized medications and to cover up her tracks from doing so. And they said their work with the doctors seemed to correspond that she had been drugging the baby, police said, poisoning her, and then filming the child in deep distress and pain, And basically trying to profit off of that.