Capitalist tool. North Korea may be run by one of the world's last Stalinist regimes, but fortunately for Pyongyang that does not preclude its doing business with that venerable capitalist organization, Lloyd's of London. Improbably enough, though floods, drought and high winds have devastated the North Korean rice and corn crops this year, most of the harvest was insured with the British insurance combine. If, as expected, the two British experts who inspected the damage last month judge the claim as credible when they return in a few weeks, Lloyd's will have to shell out several hundred million dollars. While the compensation may help Pyongyang stave off bankruptcy, it will be a setback for Lloyd's, which has survived losses totaling $12 billion over the past five years.
