The world clock is running out on pax americana, but the DPRK just might be able to squeeze into a tailing position for a piece of the globalization pie. Could there be a clearer example of how private corporations affect diplomatic and military interactions amongst enemy governments? But, the same North Koreans who hack could also be some of its major revenue winners, according to Bloomberg. Rupert Murdoch wants to be a big player, indeed.

Nosotek is a joint venture between the science and technology federation and foreign investors, company vice president Ju Jong Chol said in an e-mail. He said federation members developed both “Big Lebowski Bowling,” set in a rendition of the bowling alley where The Dude spent much of the movie drinking White Russians, and “Men in Black,” in which players battle invading aliens. Eloesser confirmed his comments.

Both games were published by Ojom GmbH, a unit of a company called Jamba that was bought by News Corp. and later renamed Fox Mobile, according to Fox Mobile spokeswoman Juliane Walther in Berlin. They came out after News Corp. took a controlling interest in Jamba in January 2007 and before it bought the remainder in October 2008. Ojom was eliminated in a May 2008 reorganization, Walther said.

When asked whether Fox Mobile distributes games developed in North Korea, Walther said that the unit “has extensive partnerships with content producers in all areas, with operators, and with the biggest media companies worldwide, including various Asian companies.”

She said the company could not provide more details on where partners are based or confirm “if and how” North Korean companies were involved in development for Ojom. Dan Berger, a News Corp. spokesman in Los Angeles, declined to comment further. News Corp. is controlled by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rupert Murdoch, 79.

Eloesser founded Elocom Mobile Entertainment GmbH in 2003, which later became a subsidiary of Ojom. He said he first visited North Korea in 2005 and helped found Nosotek in 2007.

Nosotek offers clients billing through either a Hong Kong or Chinese company, according to its website, which promises “skills, secrecy, dedication.”

Such practices allow the funds to flow to North Korea, said Paul Tjia, director of Rotterdam, Netherlands-based GPI Consultancy, which helps companies outsource overseas, including to North Korea. Other companies contract with Chinese firms that then subcontract to North Korean companies, he said.

It is “impossible to estimate” how much revenue North Korea earns through software development, he said.

Nosotek’s wares are “of similar good quality to those from other companies in Europe or America,” according to Marc Busse, digital distribution manager at Potsdam, Germany-based Exozet Games GmbH, which has distributed games for Nosotek.

Foreign companies that are reluctant to do business in North Korea need to understand that investment there can help the country modernize and reduce its isolation, Tjia said.

“Most companies are still reluctant, which we think is unfortunate,” he said. North Koreans “need investment, like China in the 1970s.”

The concern for Pyongyang’s “welfare” is touching. I just can’t understand which “North Korea” these employees believe they are “helping”.

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Filed under: Business/Economy, Globalization, Korea Tagged: big lebowski bowling, computer games, dprk, fox mobile, news corp., north korea, nosotek, rupert murdoch