[Robert A Cook PE]

Yes.

The US mines have been shut down, so the Chinese mines can increase their pollution (and profits) without competition.
Could there be minerals and rare earth ores under the NorK land?
A definite maybe.

[21twelve]

https://qz.com/1004330/north-korea-is-sitting-on-trillions-of-dollars-on-untapped-wealth-and-its-neighbors-want-a-piece-of-it/

I agree that mining could be huge - hopefully for OUR side and not the Chinese. South Korean estimates of NORK minerals is $6 to $10 trillion dollars.