Coal to Newcastle, Meth to Wonsan

North Korea, which is now said to be awash in some of the illicit drugs it manufactures for export, chiefly to Japan, has released a Japanese man it accused of drug trafficking.

A Japanese man held in North Korea since 2003 on suspicion of smuggling drugs left the country on Tuesday, North Korea’s official media reported. The man, identified as Yoshiaki Sawada, has been allowed to leave ”thanks to a humanitarian measure taken by an institution concerned” in North Korea, the Korean Central News Agency said. [Kyodo]

No doubt, there’s more to this story than the official North Korean version.