North Korean Economy Watch

UPDATE 3 (2010-6-3): China Hongxing bid to sponsor the DPRK’s 2010 World Cup football team, but was beat out by Italian firm Legea.

UPDATE 2 (2008-8-14): The Wall Street Journal did a follow up story on China Hongxing:

During the Opening Ceremonies, for instance, the North Koreans refused to wear Erke’s logo for fear it would compete with their country’s Communist red-starred flag.

and…

The North Korean sponsorship cost Erke $2 million to $3 million, said Wu Rongzhao, deputy chief executive at China Hongxing Sports, which owns Erke. The Singapore-listed Hongxing reported net profit of $59 million for fiscal 2007.

Yet Erke’s sponsorship of the North Korea team has been “a very painful process,” said Mr. Wu.

Erke had to scrub plans for a marketing event timed to the Games’ opening because of red tape and bureaucracy, said a person familiar with the matter. For instance, Pyongyang’s Olympic officials would communicate only by email, not by phone.

Nor are North Korean athletes a sports marketer’s dream. Most are conditioned to be self-effacing and to credit their victories to the North Korean regime and its leader, Kim Jong Il. Weightlifter Pak Hyon Suk, who won North Korea’s first gold in Beijing on Tuesday — wearing Erke — said her victory was the “the best present for the president, for the people, for the country and for myself,” according to Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency.

UPDATE 1 (2008-7-28): Reuters follows up with China Hongxing:

Hoping to achieve what Michael Jordan did for Nike, a little-known Chinese sportswear brand is banking on the North Korean Olympic team for publicity.

“[The Chinese] tend to watch the North Koreans compete in the events that the Chinese are also strong in, so sponsoring North Korea will get a lot more eyeballs,” [Jenny Yeo, company spokesperson] said.

North Korean athletes in the Beijing Games will be sporting a stylized swan logo from China Hongxing’s “Erke” brand, which means “you conquer” in Mandarin.

China Hongxing will be kitting out the team with leotards, soccer boots and the red windbreakers the athletes will wear to the August 8 opening ceremony. Erke will be selling some of this sportswear in China and expects buyers seeking novelty value.

ORIGINAL POST (2007-7-25): Since China’s star Olympic athletes have signed endorsement contracts with western sports apparel firms, their Chinese competitors have looked to the DPRK to help them cash in on the ’08 Olympics (and beyond).

China Hongxing Sports Limited is one such companies, and they have issued a press release here (PDF) announcing their deal with the DPRK Olympic team and the women’s football team.

Slate has more on the retail strategy:

Chinese companies can’t compete with the world powers when it comes to locking up megastars. Olympic gold-medalist hurdler Liu Xiang, who will likely emerge as the biggest Chinese star of the Beijing games, has a deal with Nike. One of China’s leading sports-marketing consultants told me that every starter on the national basketball team has a deal with a foreign brand. Yi Jianlian, whom the Milwaukee Bucks selected with the sixth pick of the NBA draft, had a Nike contract by the time he was 16.

…

At the same time, Chinese shoe companies’ Billy Beane-like quest for hidden value has led to a few questionable decisions. Most sneaker companies would shy away from sponsoring the North Korean Olympic team. At the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, the DPRK won a grand total of five medals, none of them gold. Besides, the Hermit Kingdom doesn’t exactly conjure up the kind of brand associations most shoe companies are looking for. But Erke’s [China Hongxing] sponsorship of North Korea has a simple explanation. North Korea’s strongest sports include gymnastics, table tennis, and diving, all of which draw huge support and TV audiences in China.

Read the full stories here:
Chinese Companies Sponsor Countries Others Won’t Touch
Wall Street Journal, Page A14
Mei Fong
8/14/2008

North Korea’s Olympic outfitter hopes for publicity gold
Reuters
Melanie Lee
7/29/2008

Female Weightlifters, Spanish Basketball Stars, and Kim Jong-il
Slate
Jacob Leibenluft
7/25/2007

UPDATE:  Looks like the show was drastically scaled down in P’ang.  According to the Associated Press:

Efforts shifted to trying to stage a rock concert in Pyongyang, and Cooper said possible artists included Eric Clapton or Roger Waters. But he said no corporate sponsor was found willing to pay the high production cost to bring such acts to the North.

It would have been the highest-profile performance in Pyongyang since the New York Philharmonic’s historic concert in February.

In the end, the rally ended up making the short stop in Pyongyang without the cars to watch the North Koreans’ “mass games” propaganda spectacle featuring 100,000 people performing synchronized gymnastics and acrobatics.

After the performance, the group had a banquet at the Koryo Hotel that a guide boasted was “one of the most luxurious hotels in our country.” Toasts were raised to the health of Kim Jong Il, and to Cooper.

Tattooed rally entrants wearing designer T-shirts and jeans mixed alongside North Korea’s vice culture minister clad in a dark suit.

And according to Simon (in the comments):

I was at Arirang the same night as these guys and went to the Koryo Hotel afterwards to see if they were having a party or anything like that – no party, no Hoff and the biggest star I saw was Carlton from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Don’t know who Travis Barker is so he may have been there. All in all I don’t know if they would consider the visit a success as they just flew in, went to the Games (spectacular as ever, a few changes as well this time so better than last years) and then flew out again – no concert, no party (unless it was hidden away or very small scale) but at least Carlton was there, and a guy carrying a skateboard who could conceivably have been a skater.

ORIGINAL POST: I had no idea what the Gumball 3000 was until I read the article below.  The story seems so surreal it has to be true. 

From the article:

This Saturday, August 9, superstars and super cars converge in San Francisco for the official kick-off of the 10th Anniversary Gumball 3000 Rally. More than 100 of the most amazing cars, driven by film stars, musicians, athletes and billionaires, will take an incredible eight-day journey from San Francisco to Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, North Korea and China. The “Gumballers,” driving by day and reveling at VIP parties by night, will witness the Mass Games celebration in North Korea as part of a “global friendship initiative” as well as attend the Olympic finals in Beijing.

“This year’s rally is our most historic and spectacular to date,” said Maximillion Cooper, Gumball Founder. “Fuelled by adrenaline, amusement and amity, the 2008 route from the West to the East, including the city of Pyongyang, North Korea, will be a real once in a lifetime adventure.”

The Gumball 3000 entrants include David Hasslehoff driving K.I.T.T., the Trans AM “Official Knight Rider,” Travis Barker and more in the world’s hottest cars from Ferrari Enzos to Bugatti Veyrons, low riders and electric cars.

Learn more about the Gumball 3000 here.

Read stories below:
Gumball 3000 10th Anniversary Rally Kicks Off Saturday, August 9 in San Francisco
Market Watch
08/08/08

Partytown Pyongyang? Global tour comes to NKorea
Associated Press
Burt Herman
8/15/2008

According to UPI:

The International Olympic Committee reported its first positive drug test involving a medal winner Friday at the Beijing Games.

Kim Jong-su of North Korea, who won silver in the men’s pistol competition and a bronze in the air pistol, tested positive for propanolol, a betablocker that limits trembling.

China’s Tan Zongliang was moved up from third to second in the pistol and fourth-place finisher Vladimir Isakov of Russia will receive the bronze in that event.

And sccording to RTE Sport Olympics:

A second North Korean shooter was disqualified from taking part in the Beijing Olympics because of doping, state media in South Korea said on Saturday.

Kim Hyun-woong, a pistol shooter, was kicked out of the Olympic team after test results showed positive for a banned substance, Yonhap news agency reported, quoting a South Korean official.

Read the full artocle below:
North Korean medal winner tests positive
UPI
8/15/2008

The most authoritative map of North Korea on Google Earth
Download it here

This map covers North Korea’s agriculture, aviation, cultural locations, markets, manufacturing facilities, railroad, energy infrastructure, politics, sports venues, military establishments, religious facilities, leisure destinations, and national parks. It is continually expanding and undergoing revisions. This is the eleventh version.

Additions include: Mt. Paegun’s Ryonghung Temple and resort homes, Pyongyang’s Chongryu Restaurant, Swiss Development Agency (former UNDP office), Iranian Embassy, White Tiger Art Studio, KITC Store, Kumgangsan Store, Pyongyang Fried Chicken Restaurant, Kilju’s Pulp Factory (Paper), Kim Chaek Steel Mill, Chongjin Munitions Factory, Poogin Coal Mine, Ryongwun-ri cooperative farm, Thonggun Pavilion (Uiju), Chinju Temple (Yongbyon), Kim il Sung Revolutionary Museum (Pyongsong), Hamhung Zoo, Rajin electrified perimeter fence, Pyongsong market (North Korea’s largest), Sakju Recreation Center, Hoeryong Maternity Hospital, Sariwon Suwon reservoir (alleged site of US massacre), Sinpyong Resting Place, 700 Ridges Pavilion, Academy of Science, Hamhung Museum of the Revolutionary Activities of Comrade Kim Il Sung, South Hamgyong House of Culture, Hamhung Royal Villa, Pork Chop Hill, and Pyongyang’s Olympic torch route. Additional thanks go to Martyn Williams for expanding the electricity grid, particularly in Samjiyon, and various others who have contributed time improving this project since its launch.

Disclaimer: I cannot vouch for the authenticity of many locations since I have not seen or been to them, but great efforts have been made to check for authenticity. These efforts include pouring over books, maps, conducting interviews, and keeping up with other peoples’ discoveries. In many cases, I have posted sources, though not for all. This is a thorough compilation of lots of material, but I will leave it up to the reader to make up their own minds as to what they see. I cannot catch everything and I welcome contributions.  Additionally, this file is getting large and may take some time to load.

I received a Koryo Tours email update this morning about the status of future Mass Games performances:

We have just been told by our partners in the DPRK that there is a chance there will be no mass games next year – possibly not even until 2012 which is the next big anniversary (Juche 100 – the 100^th birthday of Kim Il Sung!!!). For Americans this year’s mass games may be the last opportunity to visit the country.

Nothing has been set in stone but we wanted to give you all pre-warning. This year there are 2 different performances – ARIRANG and PROSPER THE MOTHERLAND! – the latter has never been seen before so it really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Historically the Mass Games are performed on special anniversary holidays (those in years divisible by 5 or 10).  Since 2005 (60th anniversary of victory over Japanese imperialism) they have been held annually.  This change could mark a return to the original schedule.

You can subscribe to the Koryo Tours email list here.

UPDATE 4: Circus gets coverage in Dutch media.  Story here.  You Tube video of the circus performing in Pyongyang here.

UPDATE 3: Video report of the performance in the Netherlands here. (hat tip to NOS)

UPDATE 2: Werner found out the information for Germany:

In Frankfurt / Germany they will perform from 4th to 28th Sept.

For place, time and tickets please look at:
http://www.ticketcenter.de/Sonstiges/The-Great-Flying-Circus-Nordkorea/Tournee-03248.html

UPDATE 1: Thanks to a reader for finding the information and posting in the comments:

It appears they are going to perform in Amsterdam’s Koninklijk Theater Carré from 08/01/2008 to 08/31/2008. Tickets can be ordered at this URL: http://wereldzomerfestival.theatercarre.nl/actiesite.php. 

ORIGINAL POST: According to Yonhap, the Pyongyang Circus Troupe will be touring Germany and the Netherlands for the next three months, showing off their 10 signature stunts.

From the article:

Formed over 50 years ago, the troupe is one of North Korea’s foremost cultural groups, making a visit to South Korea in 2000 on the eve of the first inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang.

“This is the first time the troupe is giving a solo performance in Europe,” the paper said, adding the tour will help improve relations between North Korea and European nations.

I imagine this is the circus that performs on Kawngbok street in Pyongyang.  There is a second “Korean People’s Army Circus” in Moranbong district.

I do not know where they will be performing, or where to get tickets, so if anyone out there can find out, please let me know.

Read the full article here:
N. Korean circus troupe to tour Europe: report
Yonhap
7/26/2008

Koryo Tours has tremendous access to the DPRK and they are pursuing several interesting projects.  Check out their newsletter here.  Of special note, there will be two different mass games performances this summer/autumn.  From the newsletter:

As before the big news though in terms of tourism in DPRK is the Mass Games event – this year for the first time two different performances have been arranged with the classic Arirang show being performed on Mon, Wed, Fri and Sat, and the brand new, not-yet-seen (even by the critics!) Prosper the Motherland! taking place on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Both of these shows feature the full complement of 100,000 performers in the May Day Stadium and both will run to approx 90 minutes offering anyone who s there the chance to witness what is simply the greatest show on Earth, some information on the events can be found here. The Olympics will pale in comparison… a double dose of Mass Games will undoubtedly be vastly superior to the sight of amateur athletes running around in circles and throwing things!

Also, Nick Bonner is producing a new (non-documentary) film in North Korea. The plot, according to the newsletter:

Comrade Kim goes Flying – we are in development with our new romantic comedy feature film…to be filmed in Pyongyang with Korean cast and crew….more about this later – but a coal miner dreams of flying on the trapeze until she is thwarted by the strong man….

UPDATE: Here is an interview with KT’s Simon Cockerell on Interview Blog.

UPDATE: I know all of you were wondering how the DPRK fared in the 2008 International Mathematical Olympics!  It is certainly the most under-reported story of the year!

North Korea improved over last year’s performance to capture 7th place! The team’s individual results can be found here.  Un Song Ri led his team to victory scoring a 97.94% and capturing 12th place individually.

Scoring ahead of the DPRK: China (PRC), Russia, USA, Republic of Korea, Iran, Thailand. 

ORIGINAL POST: I was perusing the Korean Friendship Association web site this morning, and noticed this post:

Author: Alejandro Cao De Benos
Subject: International Mathematic Olympics

A Delegation of 6 DPRK students (16 to 19 y.o.) and 2 professors from KIM IL SUNG University and Pyongyang Middle School Number 1, are now in Madrid to participate in the International Mathematic Olympics.

On 15th will be the opening ceremony, 16th and 17th the exams. 21st will be the closing ceremony. (100 countries participate)

After the exams, they are invited by the organizing Committee to tour Madrid city center, Aranjuez, Toledo, Salamanca and enjoy typical Flamenco dance.

I just said goodbye to them after sharing 5 days in the capital. They are studying day and night, eager to get the best marks in the competition.

Ri dongji, best of success for all the team!!

This competition originates in the former USSR and Warsaw Pact countries.  Some quick background info can be found on the competition’s Wikipedia site and official site.

Here are the annual results (grouped by country) since the competition started in 1959.  Of all these years, the DPRK (PRK) only competed in 2007-Hanoi (8th place – see team results here), 1992-Moscow (16th place – team results here), 1991-Sweden (Disqualified – the only team ever disqualified.  Not sure why—anyone out there know?), and 1990-Beijing (19th place – team results here).  Here are the results for all the individuals who have competed on the DPRK team.

Here is where the 2008 team’s results will be posted.  The web page gives a contact name (Ham Yong Chol) and email address.  Some enterprising journalist out there should try to get a story.  

Acording to the Korea Times, China invited Kim Jong il to attend the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics.  President Bush and Japan’s Prime Minister, Yasuo Fukuda, are still mulling their invitations.

Read the full article here:
‘North Korean Leader Invited to Beijing Olympics’
Korea Times
Kim Sue-young
6/22/2008

From Yonhap:

The British Football Association has donated some 600 items of sportswear such as gym suits and sweat pants to North Korea, a pro-Pyongyang daily in Japan said Tuesday.

The sportswear was delivered to the North Korea’s football association in a ceremony held in Pyongyang on Thursday with the British Ambassador to the country John Everard attending, the Choson Sinbo newspaper said.

Read the full article here:
British football association donates gym suits to N.K.: report
Yonhap
6/17/2008