North Korea's economy is booming and its isolation is fading — good for Kim Jong-un, bad for everyone living near him.

• Pyongyang has grown for three straight years, with new housing, Chinese electric taxis, and a ride-hailing app on government phones.
• The cash came from war: selling artillery shells, missiles, and even troops to Russia, worth perhaps $20 billion against a $34 billion economy.
• Russia pays in barter — fuel, food, and industrial goods that sanctions used to block — while China has jumped back in, boosting trade 25% and sending Xi Jinping to Pyongyang.
• Kim is spending the windfall on the military, including new destroyers and a nuclear-powered submarine, with clear Russian design help.
• Nobody is left to restrain him: Russia killed the UN sanctions monitors, China abstained, and Trump has cancelled joint drills with South Korea while praising Kim.

Outlook: With no unified pressure left, expect Kim to keep testing borders — especially the disputed sea line with South Korea — while staying short of open war.