Understanding how North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea or DPRK) adapts to external shocks, particularly international sanctions, requires analyzing its economic system not as a conventional socialist economy or a transitioning market system, but as an outright extractive system—an extreme outlier. North Korea’s institutions are engineered to divert wealth and assets upward to a chosen few, ensuring regime preservation even during periods of profound economic turmoil. Further analytical work is required to develop an assessment framework that reflects these structural realities, enabling more accurate evaluations of sanctions effectiveness and their unintended consequences.