Because they are both countries that proclaim Marxism as the doctrine of the conduct of the State, one might think that they are similar countries. In reality, they are very different. When you talk about North Korea, nothing is known about the country apart from the dictator Kim Jong-un's rhetoric. North Korea is experiencing serious economic difficulties since it can not produce everything it needs and is highly dependent on China. It is difficult to obtain reliable data from such an isolated country. Few experts or organizations commit to compiling economic data. One factor that gives Kim Jong-un's government a foothold is the black market. In addition to the black market, the economy also learns to survive by the - too slow - opening Kim Jong-un's government tries to do. Despite not recognizing, the private (and also informal) market is already a reality in the country. On the other side of the planet It is easy to get the impression that Cuba is frozen in time in front of the thousands of American cars of the 50's that circulate in the streets of Havana and the decrepitude of much of the old center of the capital. Cuba began, after the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, efforts to modernize the economy allowing foreign investment and some family businesses. President Raúl Castro's efforts to modernize Cuba's economy - planned centrally in the Soviet style - have mixed results, with some initiatives moving forward, others stalled and others discarded or not yet started. The Communist Party says the process was harder than expected, and that most of the reforms are still work in progress. Some of the changes that are being implemented, such as the development of a private sector, have been subject to constant adjustments and increasing demands that involve increasing social inequality and stricter regulation. The reforms initiated by Raúl Castro at the end of the last decade have timidly improved the limits of action of individuals and have put an end to some restrictions - such as the need for government authorization to travel abroad and to have a mobile or a ban on entering hotels where foreigners were staying. The possibility of connecting to the Internet in the home continues to be a privilege of a few and repression of dissidents remains strong. Cubans take their cell phones, tablets and laptops to places with wi-fi and settle on the sidewalks, concentrating on their handsets to make the most of the time they are connected. It is impossible to predict what will happen when internet access is expanded in Cuba, but surfers on the net today have access to several sites for people interaction which are blocked in China.