North Korean Economy Watch

According to the Pyongyang Times (2015-1-25):

With a series of economic development zones springing up across the country, the first cutting-edge technology development zone is to be built in Unjong Science Park in which the State Academy of Sciences is located.

As it covers a 200 hectare area near Pyongyang, it has many favourable conditions for its development.

Many projects have been planned to solicit investment since the publication of the decree of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People’s Assembly on the establishment of Unjong Cutting-edge Technology Development Zone in July 2014.

The development zone will be divided into information industry, biological industry, technology and engineering, materials and equipment and other sections, focusing on the development of cutting-edge technologies and products in these sectors.

An IT company, program development centre and IC production base are to be built to develop and make advanced programs and products.

The biological industry section will house developers and manufacturers of bioengineering products such as biomedicine, enzyme products, microbial agrochemicals and fertilizers and biochemical products. Concentrated in the materials and equipment section will be research centres and manufacturing bases to develop and produce laser and plasma devices, materials and other technology products.

The zone plans to establish start-ups in the fields of agriculture, stockbreeding, fruit, fish and industrial crop farming and biomass energy which have high values added.

In the development zone local businesses are mainly engaged in joint technology development with foreign partners, technology export and technology service to foreign customers.

At the moment dozens of joint technology development projects have been selected such as multiple-axis CNC compound processing lathe, scanning plasma surface heat treatment device and pollution-free washing machine. Dozens of other technology export projects have been arranged including portable digital pH meter, CNC device that can simultaneously control 15 kinds of machines, metal lithium, rubidium and cesium manufacturing technology ensuring over 99.5 per cent purity and a welding pencil without using electricity.

The 3-D virtual reality design, satellite-beamed data interpretation and geographical data system and parallel blasting method without gas exhaust are now waiting for foreign customers.

Competent scientific and technical personnel and solid material and technical foundations will provide a reliable guarantee for the zone to achieve its development goals.

According to KCNA (2015-1-20):

Briefing on Wonsan-Mt. Kumgang Int’l Tourist Zone to Be Given

Pyongyang, January 20 (KCNA) — A briefing on investment will be given in the DPRK in April-May to develop the Wonsan-Mt. Kumgang international tourist zone.

A number of overseas Koreans and foreign investors have expressed their deep interest in the project.

In this regard, KCNA had an interview with O Ung Gil, general manager of the Wonsan Area Development Corporation.

Noting that the participants in the briefing are scheduled to tour Wonsan City and Mt. Kumgang, the general manager said:

The Wonsan-Mt. Kumgang international tourist zone began to be developed under a June Juche 103 (2014) decree of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People’s Assembly.

The master plan for its development was completed, and a sectional planning and the infrastructure construction and repairing are now under way.

The development zone covers an area of 430 square kilometers, which involves Wonsan City and Popdong, Anbyon, Thongchon and Kosong counties and some parts of Kumgang County in Kangwon Province.

This area is famous for lots of historical relics, tourist resources and beauty spots, including Phyohun and Singye temples, lakes Sijung and Tongjong, Ullim Falls and Songdowon beach.

In particular, Mt. Kumgang is noted for its natural beauties of mountains and valleys and newly-built Songdowon International Children’s Camp and the Masikryong Ski Resort are enjoying great popularity.

We will carry on the development and tourism in the area at the same time through brisk exchange, and our general goal is to turn the zone into a world-level one with high service standard and capability.

The Choson Sinbo announced the opening of the Hwanggumbol Shop (황금벌상점) in Pyongyang last December. According to the pro-DPRK outlet, it is open from 6am to midnight.

Choson Exchange chimed in with additional information:

[Hwanggumbol Trading Corporation] managers have taken part in multiple CE workshops and have taken part in mind-mapping and team-building exercises, as well as lean startup methodology and customer needs strategies. It is fitting that the article speaks of “responding to people’s demands”, though it is then said that “the idea of loving people”, rather than “responding to their demands” is the concept they use. Its gratifying to see that some of the concepts we’ve covered in workshops are packed up in PR-conscious statements like these.

On a Women in Business workshop in Singapore last year, the businesswomen were obsessed with how retail worked elsewhere – Geoffrey recounts here how it took ages to drag them through a mall, not because they were shopping, but because they were taking notes on everything. They were extremely curious about how customers could be attracted, engaged and kept.

Back in Pyongyang, the manager of Hwanggumbol, Mr. Ryang Sung Jin, mentions that they are “prioritizing benefits for the people and their business’ goal is people’s convenience”. Clearly, these guys have found their angle, differentiating themselves quite dramatically from the competition.

NK News did a follow-up as well that was re-posted to The Guardian. The article translated much of the Choson Sinbo material that is behind a registration-wall:

The stores are located in residential streets to let the people buy groceries at their convenience. To guarantee low prices, Hwanggumbol Trading Corporation practices bulk purchasing from various producers around the country and consistently accelerates circulation of purchases and sales, it said. According to the article, some of its imported goods also enjoy tariff benefits.

However, the store’s management has kept its distance from capitalist principles, describing its operation as the “realisation of the Party’s love for the people,” drawing a line between its own interests and those of capitalist corporations.

“To put people’s interest above anything and to serve the people’s convenience are the aims of our service,” Ryang Sung-jin, the president of Hwanggumbol Trading Corporation, was quoted as saying.

Hwanggumbol Store currently runs three stores in Pyongyang and plans to expand its number of stores to 20 by spring 2015. The stores are also expanding their range of services and will be providing door-to-door delivery and sales, as well as ticketing reservations for trains and planes, the report said.

“We also know of people trying to start a chain of stores as well as dry-cleaning and delivery services in Pyongyang,” Abrahamian said. “There is definitely a generation of business people thinking creatively, asking ‘why not?’ when it comes to new ways of doing things.”

Pictured above (Google Earth: 2014-8-6): New apartment housing in Chaeha-dong, Sinuiju.

According to the Daily NK:

The real estate market in a strategic location of North Korea is heating up, with a recently new venture seeing apartment units being traded for up to 30,000 USD , the Daily NK has learned.

“Real estate development in Sinuiju City has been pretty active since two years ago,” a source based in the province told the Daily NK on Tuesday. “Starting last July or August, construction for high-rises has been underway in the Chaeha-dong neighborhood.”

The apartments in Chaeha-dong are being built on joint investments from foreign currency-earning enterprises and the donju [the new affluent middle class], according to the source. To clear the way for the lucrative project, Chaeha Market, the largest distribution market in the city, has been relocated to park grounds located in Namsang-dong.

While private property purchases remain illegal in North Korea, beleaguered by economic hardship, the state dolls out tacit consent to these endeavors, encouraging increasingly more illicit trade within the burgeoning real estate market.

In areas like Sinuiju, a main portal to and from China, there is no shortage of solvent buyers eager and willing to pay for property in the area, knowing its value will only continue to increase. The apartments taking over the Chaeha Market grounds are modern buildings of roughly 100 square meters, constructed from materials exclusively imported from China. Situated in a prime location near Sinuiju Customs House, the complex offers convenient transportation options compared to other locations, warranting the relative high prices, according to the source.

Units in the complex come in three varieties, depending on their stage of completion: “If only the framework of the apartment is put up, it is sold for 20,000 USD; if interior construction is completed, it trades for 25,000 USD; and if decorative touches are added, it fetches 30,000 USD,” she explained. According to exchange rates in North Korean markets on the 7th, 1 USD trades for roughly 8,000 KPW.

Labor for the cause consists of workers from state-run enterprises and “8.3 Workers” with special expertise. The term, “8.3 Workers,” stems from a system where workers earn money outside their state-mandated workplaces and present de facto tax payments back to their employers but also keep a portion of the profits. In this case, the “8.3 Workers” are sectioned off into “8.3 Units” of five to eight people, tasked with plastering or putting down tiles in one unit within the residential complex.

Regarding compensation for their work on the new building, “8.3 Groups” reach an agreement with the construction company, affiliated with a foreign-currency earning enterprise, on rates and then work around the clock once ground breaks on the project. “Time equals money,” as the source said, adding that one worker is estimated to receive roughly 30,000 [3.75 USd] to 50,000 KPW [6.25 USD] a day of work and is guaranteed rations and meals.

For investors, however, the project yields far more significant returns. “If an individual invests in one of these companies’ real estate construction project, the profits are divided up 3:7 and the investor receives a 30 percent share from sales of the completed property,” the source explained.

Donju invest in housing construction projects with these firms because they are unable to receive legal permission from the Ministry of Construction to engage in such personal investments. Although donju involvement in these undertakings has been known to sometimes take the form of loans offered to construction firms at lofty interest rates, this method proves less popular for the simple fact that there is less guarantee for them to receive what they are owed; needless to say, no laws exist to protect these–by official North Korean law–illicit transactions.

This fact propels most of the donju to invest in the permanence and relative stability property offers, all while skimming 30 percent of the overall profits from the sale; it is also why the source speculated this form of investment to continue to gain traction.

She added that demand for news persists on with unhindered growth. Party cadres and the donju continue to purchase completed units; in fact, many even buying two or three units using their relatives’ names to ensure future usage.

Meanwhile, residents of Chaeha-dong in Sinuiju are currently residing at the Sinuiju Medical University dorms or at homes of their relatives. The source reported that these temporarily displaced persons will be moving in, free of charge, to the newly built apartments following their completion. She noted, however, that this contingent forms a disproportionate percentage to those who have purchased units within the complex.

Read the full story here:
Real Estate Market Booming in Sinuiju
Daily NK
Seol Song Ah
2015-01-14

According to the Pyongyang Times (2015-1-6):

The development of EDZs (economic development zones) is going full steam ahead in the country after the publication of decrees on the establishment of economic development zones in provinces by the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly on November 21 2013 and July 23 2014.

EDZ is a special economic zone in which preferential treatment is given to economic activities pursuant to the DPRK law on economic development zones.

After the publication of the decrees, provincial people’s committees began to work out master plans for economic development zones and create environment for investment.

As a result, master plans for such development zones have been approved by provincial people’s assemblies including the Amnokgang economic development zone in North Phyongan Province, Manpho economic and Wiwon industrial development zones in Jagang Province, Sinphyong tourism development and Songnim export processing zones in North Hwanghae Province, Hyondong industrial development zone in Kangwon Province, Hungnam industrial and Pukchong agricultural development zones in South Hamgyong Province, Chongjin economic, Orang agricultural and Onsong island tourism development zones in North Hamgyong Province, Hyesan economic development zone in Ryanggang Province, Waudo export processing zone in Nampho City, and Chongnam industrial and Sukchon agricultural development zones in South Phyongan Province.

Master plans for other development zones are being worked out at the final stage.

With master development plans approved, provincial people’s committees are now working to attract more foreign investors and developing businesses to cooperate with their projects.

In October last year the Russian minister of Development of Far East visited the Chongjin EDZ together with Russian businesspersons to check the state of development and discuss matters of investment and development with officials concerned of the North Hamgyong Provincial People’s Committee.

Cooperation is being stepped up with Chinese businesses in the Onsong island tourism development zone in the wake of the opening ceremony of tourism in the Chongsu tourism development zone in Sakju County, North Phyongan Province in October last year.

Governments of some Southeast Asian nations are showing particular interest in the investment in the Sukchon agricultural development zone in South Phyongan Province.

Preparations are expected to be made for receiving investment in the development zones and the EDZs offer preferential treatment to developing businesses and investors with independence in management.

Management agencies are being set up in EDZs, experts needed for the development of these areas trained in universities in Pyongyang and provinces and technical personnel dispatched to other countries for practice.

Brisk activities for the development of EDZs in provinces across the country are attracting growing interest of experts and investors in many countries of the world, especially Asia-Pacific and Southeast Asian nations.

According to the Pyongyang Times (2014-12-12):

The agricultural development zone is to be established on Yoltusamcholli Plain, the rice bowl in the west of Korea.

The zone covers an area of nearly three square kilometres in Unjong-ri of Sukchon County, South Phyongan Province in the heart of the plain.

It is envisaged that agricultural research and development bases will be built there in line with the trend of modern farming method as well as food and other processing bases.

The bases will be engaged in R&D for the breeding of good and high-yield varieties of rice, maize, fruit trees and silkworms, for seed selection and for the introduction of the seedling production system and organic farming, and in the production of organic fertilizers and agrochemicals, animal husbandry and processing of environment-friendly foodstuff.

The zone will also establish processing industries that make the most of natural resources and industrial establishments around the area.

The merits of the zone are that the county has skilled agricultural workforce in large numbers, educational and research institutes, favourable topography and the gravity-fed waterway nearby.

In the vicinity of the zone there are also roads linking Pyongyang with local areas including the western border city of Sinuiju, Sukchon Railway Station, Pyongyang International Airport and the country’s biggest trade port of Nampho.

According to KCNA:

The Hungnam Industrial Development Zone will be built in Hamhung City, South Hamgyong Province of the DPRK.

The zone is to be engaged mainly in bonded processing, machine and equipment making and production of chemical goods, building-materials and medicines, according to an official concerned.

It is now drawing attention of foreign governments and investors for its favorable geographical conditions and economic foundations.

In around the area there are harbor and railway station, several power plants and the Songchon River as well as various industrial establishments, including Ryongsong Machine Complex, February 8 Vinalon Complex and Hamhung Wood Processing Factory.

The area is also favorable for tourism as it has Majon bathing beach and Majon Hotel.

A development area for the first stage is 2 square kilometers and the DPRK government plans to encourage various forms of development projects including joint venture between the country’s relevant enterprises and foreign investors.

Institute for Far Eastern Studies (IFES)

Coinciding with the promotion of the nation’s economic development zones (EDZs), North Korea has recently decided to adopt three new regulations, including the “Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s Operation Regulation of Economic Development Zone Management,” which opens up high-level positions in management organizations to foreigners within the various EDZs around the nation.

The three new regulations, including the “DPRK Operation Regulation of EDZ Management,” “DPRK EDZ Establishment Regulation” and the “DPRK EDZ Company Establishment Operation Regulation” were obtained and reported by the Maeil Business Newspaper on November 4, 2014 and were said to be adopted by the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly just two days later on November 6.

In May 2013, North Korea established the legislative basis for the creation of central-level EDZs (special economic zones, SEZs) and provincial-level economic development zones, and in October, the State Economic Development Board had its status elevated to the State Economic Development Committee and was given total control over business in EDZs. Then, on November 21, the Sinuiju Special Economic Zone (SEZ) was announced alongside thirteen other provincial-level EDZs. The following year, in June 2014, the Wonsan-Mt. Kumgang International Tourist Zone was announced, followed by the July announcement about the designation of six additional economic development zones, including the Unjong Cutting-Edge Technological Development Zone.

It appears that these three new EDZ-related regulations are specific internal regulations in order to better implement the “Law on Economic Development Zones.” According to the first new regulation, the establishment of EDZs will “coincide with the state’s economic development strategy” and will have their establishment agendas written by the “Central Special Economic Zone Guidance Agency.” EDZs are said to be “advantageous to overseas economic cooperation and exchange,” and it was stipulated that EDZs are to be established in “areas of concentrated population,” as well as in “certain remote areas.”

With regards to the regulation on the operation of management agencies in EDZs, it was reported that “management operation at EDZs will be conducted by the EDZ’s Management Operation Association or Management Office (hereafter Management Agency).” Specifically, the regulation states, “Members of the Management Agency may be a person from [the DPRK] or another country who has extensive business experience and who possesses expert knowledge in their field,” showing that foreigners may now be entrusted with high-level positions such as chairman in North Korea’s economic development zones.

Furthermore, it was decided that “foreign and/or domestic experts may be invited to work full time or part time in their appropriate department according to the needs of the Management Agency,” stipulating that foreign experts outside of EDZ managerial positions may also be invited.

In terms of the regulation on the establishment and operation of corporations in EDZs, it was decided that “foreign corporations, individuals, economic organizations and overseas Koreans may invest in EDZs and establish and operate companies through joint ventures or individually.” The regulation also states, “Investment and economic activities are limited only to those who give knowledge to and promote the nation’s safety, the health of the people, a wholesome, socially moral lifestyle and environmental protection, and are prohibited to those who are lagging behind in terms of economic technology.” Instead, the regulation promotes the establishment of companies in the “infrastructure construction and cutting-edge technology sectors,” and has clearly stated that they will receive preferential treatment in the form of tax cuts, favorable land use conditions and other benefits.

Additionally, while the regulation did say that “companies must primarily employ labor from [the DPRK],” it held the door open for foreigners by saying that “a portion of management personnel, specific types of occupational experts and technicians may be employed from other countries.” The regulation also set specific standards for penalties should a company create problems. Businesses caught operating without a business registration or license will face charges between ten and fifteen thousand Euro, businesses who fail to report changes in their company registration will face fines between two thousand and five thousand Euro, and business founders who are caught pocketing investment money without lawful justification will suffer fines between ten and twenty thousand Euro.

According to Yonhap:

Hyundai Asan Corp., the company that pioneered inter-Korean commercial ties, said Tuesday that its loss from the suspension of its North Korea tour programs is estimated at nearly 1 trillion won (US$909 million) over the past six years.

The company said on the eve of the 16th anniversary of starting the tours to Mount Kumgang on North Korea’s east coast that it has also been forced to reduce its workforce by up to 73 percent.

Before visits were stopped, the company employed 1,084 people to handle tours to Mount Kumgang and the city of Kaesong, but the staff has been slashed to just 285. Kaesong was the capital of the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392).

The estimate is based on the assumption that some 300,000 tourists would have visited the scenic mountain and seaside resort on an annual basis if the ban was not placed. For Kaesong, Hyundai Asan said the loss in earnings was calculated on the premise that some 100,000 people would have visited the city per year.

Seoul banned all tourists from visiting the isolated country after a North Korean guard shot a South Korean visitor dead in July 2008 at Mount Kumgang. South Korea said the North must formally apologize for the mishap and assure that the tragedy will not occur in the future.

Tourists first started visiting the mountains in November 1998 and by 2008, over 1.93 million made the trip to the North.

“The halt in tourism to the mountain resort has cost the company 809.4 billion won, while losses brought on by a ban on tourism to the ancient city of Kaesong on the west coast, has ballooned to 125.2 billion won with the total reaching 934.7 billion won,” the company said. They added that if tours do not resume soon, the loss in earnings will reach the 1 trillion won mark.

The halt in tourism is particularly painful because the company, part of the larger Hyundai Group, invested 226.8 billion won in various facility investments and US$486.69 million to acquire land and operational rights from Pyongyang.

Hyundai Asan said that despite troubles, it has a plan in place that can restart tours in two months, with its top executives still hoping that cross-border relations will improve so operations can resume.

Read the full story here:
Hyundai Asan faces 1 tln won loss on N. Korea tour suspension
Yonhap
2014-11-18

Institute for Far Eastern Studies (IFES)

The opening ceremony for the Chongsu Tourist Development Zone, an area designated as one of North Korea’s economic development zones (EDZ), took place on October 30, 2014.

According to a report on October 31 by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the Chongsu Tourist Development Zone is an EDZ which was developed under the July 23, 2014 decree of the Standing Committee of the DPRK Supreme People’s Assembly, and covers nearly 3,800 hectares in various parts of Pangsan-ri and the Chongsong Workers’ District in Sakju County, North Phyongan Province.

It was reported that the Chongsu Tourist Development Zone was opened through cooperation between North Korea’s North Phyongan Provincial People’s Committee and China’s Liaoning Province, Dandong City People’s Government, and Dandong Overseas Travel Co. Ltd.

In an interview with the KCNA, Kwak Jin Ho, director of the North Phyongan Provincial People’s Committee’s Department for Economic Zone Development, said about the development prospects of the Chongsu tourist zone: “This area will be developed into a tourist zone equipped with modern tourism and service facilities while also highlighting the distinct characteristics of Korean folklore.”

Director Kwak also stated, “The zone’s infrastructure, public facilities and tourist service facilities will all be built to meet modern standards. Currently there are plans to construct factories for special product manufacturing, as well as areas for livestock, orchards and fisheries. With these targets, there are also plans for a cultural recreation district, Korean folk village, general services area, Korean folk hotel, as well as processing plants for spring water, fruits, wild greens and kimchi.”

In addition, Director Kwak said in the interview, “The hillsides will be transformed into orchards to create a tourist destination filled with scarlet and white peaches and other high quality fruit trees.” With regards to visiting the area, Director Kwak stated, “Due to the geographical location of the tourist zone being along the border, tours are generally half-day or one-day trips.”

It was also noted that the Chongsu and Youlgol Revolutionary Historic Sites will be included among visitor destinations, and that there are plans to include the Chongsong Bridge, which was used in the Korean War, and other Pangsan-ri locations as tourist destinations.

With regards to the tourist development zone, the KCNA expressed its anticipation, saying, “When it begins, tourism will attract many tourists to this zone and will therefore form an international tourism link between Chongsu and Dandong, China.”

Here is coverage in KCNA (2014-11-1):

Chongsu Tourist Zone Opens in DPRK

Pyongyang, November 1 (KCNA) — A ceremony took place on Thursday to open the Chongsu Tourist Zone in the DPRK to visitors.

The Chongsu Tourist Zone is an economic zone to be developed under the July 23, Juche 103 (2014), decree of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People’s Assembly, which covers some parts of Pangsan-ri and Chongsong Workers’ District in Sakju County, North Phyongan Province. Its total area is more than 3 800 hectares.

The work for opening the zone has been pushed ahead under the cooperation between DPRK’s North Phyongan Provincial People’s Committee and China’s Liaoning Province, Dandong City People’s Government and Dandong Overseas Travel Co. Ltd.

According to Kwak Jin Ho, director of the Economic Zone Development Department of the North Phyongan Provincial People’s Committee, the zone will turn into a tourist development zone equipped with modern facilities.
Its development project includes the construction of tourist service establishments and supply bases such as cultural recreation district, Korean folk village, folk hotel and production bases for specialties, livestock and marine products and fruits. Hillocks of the zone will be changed into orchards of high-yielding fruit trees as a tourist destination.

Half-day or one-day tour is mainly encouraged in the zone while its development going on as it is located in a frontier. The tourist destinations will include Chongsu and Youlgol revolutionary sites associated with activities of Kim Hyong Jik, an indomitable revolutionary fighter, and Chongsong Bridge used during the 1950-1953 Korean War.
The tourism in the zone will provide an international tourist link between Chongsu and Dandong, China.

Here is video coverage:

Here is coverage in the Pyongyang Times:

An inaugural ceremony was held on October 30 at Pangsan wharf to signal the start of tour of the Chongsu Tourism Development Zone in Sakju County, North Phyongan Province.

The participants got aboard a pleasure boat and went up the Amnok River enjoying sightseeing.

The Chongsu Tourism Development Zone was set up by a decree of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People’s Assembly on July 23 2014, and it covers part of Pangsan-ri and Chongsong workers’ district in Sakju County.

The zone faces part of Dandong, Liaoning Province, China on the other side of the Amnok River.

It is spread over some 3 800 hectares, with 1 413 hectares in Pangsan-ri and 2 330 hectares in Chongsong district.

It is to be developed with much emphasis on the Korean folk taste and equipped with latest service facilities for tourists.

The project includes building of infrastructure, public amenities, service facilities and bases for processing specialities, animal husbandry, and fruit and fish farming.

Major objects to be developed are amusement district, folk village, service district, folk inn, spring water factory and other establishments for processing fruit, wild edible greens and kimchi.

A variety of good fruit tree species will be planted on hills to add to the green scenery of the zone.

Tour of sites will be conducted in parallel with development of the zone.

A tour spans half or one full day, given that the zone borders China.

On the list of the tourist sites are the Chongsu and Youlgol revolutionary sites associated with activities of Kim Hyong Jik, an outstanding leader of Korea’s anti-Japanese national liberation movement, the broken Chongsong bridge which had been used by Chinese People’s Volunteers when they entered the Korean front during the Fatherland Liberation War (June 1950 – July 1953), the seat of Pangsan-ri, historical relics from the period of the feudal Joson dynasty in the Chongsong workers’ district.

The start of tour of the zone will help forge an international tourist link between Chongsu and Dandong and promote regional tourism and economic development.