A cargo ship tagged with North Korea was halted by Panama today. The Panamanian government claimed that the ship was trying to illegally smuggle sophisticated missile paraphernalia across the Panama Canal. The authorities in the canal boarded the ship after initially suspecting that drugs were being sneaked by the vessel.
According to the Panamanian authorities, they found "undeclared weapons of war" hidden within brown sugar packages.
The captain of the North Korean ship attempted suicide after realizing that their cover was blown. The ship broke into chaos when Panamanian authorities boarded the vessel, said the authorities.
Surprisingly, North Korea's economy grew last year according to reports, despite widespread poverty. This expansion of the local economy is still based on much guesswork, according to analysts. The country posted growth for two consecutive years.
According to the United States' central bank, the isolated country's performance was due to its manufacturing sector. The increased harvest of cereal also padded the gain of North Korea.
Political analysts said that most of North Korea's funds were invested in its military and nuclear industry.
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