There's a lot that's unknown about North Korea, at least outside of its secretive communist government.

But today's edition of CNN 10 is going to explain what is known as North Korea's relationship with South Korea continues to get worse.

We told you yesterday how the North blew up a diplomatic office that it in South Korea used to hold meetings.

No one was hurt.

North Korea says it destroyed the building because people in South Korea were sending leaflets across the border that spoke out against the North Korean dictatorship.

But there's more to the story.

South Korea and the United States, our allies and the leaders of all three countries started holding direct meetings two years ago to talk about the decades old rivalry on the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea and the US wanted North Korea to end its controversial nuclear program.

North Korea wanted the US to end its sanctions.

It's penalties on North Korea's economy that were put in place because of that nuclear program.

But the talks got hung up over disagreement about who takes action first, and analysts say that North Korea might have blown up the diplomatic office to get attention on the issue.

It's done things like this in the past.

Isolated, sanctioned and at war, North Korea is one of the world's few truly pariah states, living largely cut off from the Internet.

And global trade has come at a punishing cost for its people.

But two things have made the secret of states economic survival possible, its efforts to be self sustainable and the support of key allies.

North Korea's tumultuous relationship with most of its neighbors and the U.

S has seen it bear the brunt of a long list of international sanctions.

Some measures have aimed to cripple parts of the economy, supporting the regime's nuclear missile programme, wiping hundreds of millions of dollars from the country's annual income.

Others have targeted regime officials for human rights violations.

But North Korea has long worked to produce enough food and goods domestically to supply the country.

Looking at the relatively middle class lives on display in the showpiece capital, Pyongyang, you might think that's been a success.

But the capital is only home to around three million of the most privileged, most loyal citizens for the other 20 million plus North Koreans living outside this city, Poverty is the most common way of life, especially in the countryside.

North Koreans often go without the basics, like clean water, medicine and nutritious food.

The country's economy is largely agrarian, and crop failures have led to mass food shortages and the need for U.

N emergency food aid.

Internationally.

North Korea's recent overtures for peace attracted attention, but it has been the communist regime's more hidden relationships that have reaped benefits for the North Korean elite.

China has been North Korea's main trading partner.

Whole seafood and agricultural products have all flowed from North Korea, while China has pumped Pyongyang with enough oil to fuel its industries, according to the U.

S.

Beijing's consistently poor enforcement of international sanctions has also provided an economic loophole for Pyongyang.

Meanwhile, a black market in Korean goods blossom thanks to the secret of nations porous border with China, with profits believed to go to the North Korean regime.

In 2017 following a string of North Korean nuclear test, Beijing finally cut off Pyongyang's access to its financial system.

Nevertheless, China remains a key intermediary between the hermit kingdom and the outside world.

Russia also maintains relatively close ties with North Korea it's rooted in their Cold War alliance.

Both Russia and China have helped shield North Korea at the U.

N.

Security Council, repeatedly rebuffing US attempts to impose harsher sanctions.

Both nations have also been home to North Korean companies and Labour, with some workers in Russia working in conditions that the U.

S State Department has described as slave like labor.

In 2019 US believe North Korea had some 100,000 citizens working abroad, mostly in Russia and China, sending huge amounts of money back home, much of it right into the coffers of the ruling Kim family And until they were banned by new U.

N.

Sanctions in 2017 foreign labor contracts were a vital source of foreign currency for the North Korean regime.

The Kim family has managed to keep a tight grip on power three generations, putting the survival of the regime above all else, including the North Korean people.

12th trivia.

Which of these aerospace companies was founded first Space X scaled composites, Virgin Galactic for blue origin dating back to 1982.

Scaled Composites was the 1st 1 of these companies on the aerospace scene, but it was space X that built the vehicle that launched two NASA astronauts to the international space station last month.

It was the first time that Americans reached orbit from US soil since the space shuttle program was retired in 2011.

Space X is a private company that has received billions of dollars from NASA.

Its recent launch was a historic success.

It's been a couple weeks now since the amazing historic launch.

What surprised you the most about the journey, I think just in general the biggest surprise, probably for both of us, was just how different the rocket felt than what we had experienced was Shuttle.

I mean, we expected some of that to be different just because it was a liquid fueled rocket.

The shuttle had solid rocket boosters, so that was gonna be different.

But it certainly was a great ride.

It was just different, very exciting.

All in all, I would say that was the first big highlight, and then the 2nd 1 was was getting to space station and seeing three smiling faces.

When we came through the hatch, it was just great to see those guys and I I think they were happy to see us get of, you know, get a little change of scenery onboard station and a little bit more help.

Now, Bob, we know you've been busy training for an upcoming spacewalk.

Can you tell us a little bit about what you'll be doing during that walk?

And at this point, you know, you're a veteran spacewalker.

So what is your favorite part about?

A spacewalk will be changing out all of the batteries on one of the channels on the space station.

From my perspective, having done a few spacewalks and being a veteran, I really look forward to the views of the earth when we get a free moment.

And this time there'll be a dragon vehicle pointed on the forward end of the space station instead of the space shuttle.

And so I'm looking forward to that something new, that new view that I can capture and share with the world.

Some might say that the most dangerous part of the mission still lies ahead the journey home, and this time you guys won't be landing on a runway.

When you land back on earth, you'll be splashing down in the ocean.

What are you anticipating?

The ride back home to be like, Are you guys at all nervous?

No, I don't think we're nervous.

We watch the demo one flight, the test flight, The UN crewed test flight in the vehicle performed very well.

We've seen the in flight aboard test in the vehicle perform well again.

Way have full confidence that the vehicle will perform just like it's supposed to.

That being said, it's Ah, it's a completely different entry profile than what we are used to or had been used to in the space shuttle will land in the water.

As you said, we'll land on their parachutes much more dynamic entry.

They'll be much higher G's And, uh, you know, that's just part of the unknown is to, you know, we have prepared port, but we can only prepare so much and we'll see how the vehicle does.

And we'll see how we do when we get back.

Now.

Says I S s program manager Kirk Shireman is stepping down, and this comes after Nasa's head of human spaceflight resigned in May.

How do all of these changes in leadership affect you guys and the other astronauts that are currently living on the International space station.

I think if you look at who is Ah, replaced some of those positions, you'll you'll see people from within, moving up and stepping into those roles and just doing an excellent job.

And so that's one of the strengths of an organization like NASA is that we don't rely on a single individual to drive the entire assessment and evaluation and management effort.

We use a team of individuals to do that, and and the team is strong enough to be ableto recognize their role in assisting that new leader and coming into their own as they take over the organization.

For 10 out of 10 today, it's like a high tech pet adoption.

This is spot.

It's the famous robot Quadra pen, or four legged, dog like machine from Boston Dynamics.

And now American companies can, by their very own spot for the price of $74,500 spot, can help businesses open doors, walk over rocks and stairs, entertain employees with robot running man.

It has found uses in factories, research labs and construction sites.

But the question is, will someone spot $75,000 just to see spot run, you could always retriever a real dog, something more Labrador, a ble, even if it's more likely to leave poodles than a robot of Carla Zeus for CNN.