One would think that the North Korean military is primarily involved with matters of combat. But, as recounted in one amazing Washington Post paragraph, they do other things:
North Korea is perhaps the world's most secretive and repressive state, but it makes no attempt to hide the ubiquitous role the military plays in the daily lives of the country's 23.5 million people. Soldiers dig clams and launch missiles, pick apples and build irrigation canals, market mushrooms and supervise the export of knockoff Nintendo games. They also guard the country's 3,000 cooperative farms, and help themselves to scarce food in a hungry country.
I don't have much to add, but I did want to make sure you sounded more worldly the next time someone asks you what you read on Kotaku recently.