North Korea’s national airline resumes flights to Macau this week, thus ending a 15-year break in services to the Asian gambling hub.

Air Koryo has not flown direct to the Chinese Special Autonomous Region since 2004, but that will change on Friday, August 2 when the route is revived.

The air carrier now reaches four international destinations: three in China (Beijing, Macau, Shenyang) and one in Russia (Vladivostok).

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It is understood the Kim Jong Un regime wanted to restore the Pyongyang-Macau service for the benefit of the emerging elite class in North Korea.

While Kim and his comrades may be after nothing than a high-stakes game of baccarat, political observers will be wary of ulterior motives for the move.

Previous North Korean administrations have used Macau as a base for illicit dealings, most notably in 2006 when Kim Jong Il’s cronies were sprung laundering money via Banco Delta Asia.

Gambling in North Korea is illegal for citizens, but tourists to the country can do it in a highly-regulated environment, although this is even considered to be rare.

It’s the same situation in South Korea, although there is a huge offshore online casino industry running, which has not been stopped by local officials.