South Korea is a tech giant and North Korea already has a master hacking/cyber warfare culture. Not sure about Afghanistan.
I think N.+ S. Korea have an almost unlimited labor supply. One of the main reasons for tapping into this goldmine ASAP is to keep China out.
Yes, the biggest “gold mine” is not minerals in the earth, but the huge human potential of the North Korean people.
No doubt, in a generation they can become a tech superpower like South Korea is.