China deploys a massive coast guard to defend its expanding shores; Pyongyang’s executive recruitment pays off.

(Originally published June 13 in “What in the World“) China has built up the world’s largest coast guard to defend its coastline.

And what a coastline it is! It stretches from the gas fields of Natuna Island off the coast of Sarawak near Kuching, up the shores of Vietnam and the western archipelago of the Philippines, around the eastern shores of Taiwan and the Diaoyu islands and then up through the East China Sea and Yellow Sea before ending at China’s border with North Korea.

So, China’s is no ordinary coast guard. Its 150 ships would make most navies blush with envy and includes naval corvettes packing big guns and even anti-ship missiles. But it’s all part of defending the motherland from what China’s President Xi Jinping has warned his nation could be a worst-case scenario for which they must be prepared.

Jobseekers beware! That next headhunter reaching out to you about a big opportunity over LinkedIn might just be Kim Jong Un, looking for cash to help build up his nuclear arsenal. North Korean hackers, using catfishing techniques to plant trojan horse software on victims’ devices have managed to raise $3 billion. North Korean hackers are also taking remote programming jobs to plant ransomware and other malware in company computers.

Ukraine says its counteroffensive has succeeded in liberating seven villages in western Donestk province.