(An interview of a reporter of Foreign Trade of the DPRK with Sin On Rok, director of a bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Trade)
Question: I’d like to have a talk with you about the DPRK policy on foreign trade. Would you please tell me about the fundamental of its foreign trade policy?
Answer: The DPRK Law on Foreign Trade was adopted by the decision of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly in 1997. Article 2 of the law stipulates that it is a consistent policy of the DPRK to develop foreign trade.
The fundamental of its foreign trade policy is to consolidate the foundation of the independent national economy and, on this basis, to expand and develop trade relations with other countries.
This foundation provides a material guarantee for promoting foreign trade on the principles of complete independence and equality. If the developing countries, in particular, fail to conduct trade business based on their self-reliant national economy, they can neither construct independent structure of trade nor defend their sovereignty in the end.
From this point of view, the DPRK government has consistently maintained trade policy of developing foreign trade on the basis of the independent national economy and further consolidating its foundations through foreign trade.
In the past the government has developed heavy industry with machine building industry as its core, light industry and agriculture simultaneously in conformity to the actual conditions of the country and, relying on them, produced and exported goods that are highly competitive in international markets. And it has always ensured that foreign trade serves development of the economy and betterment of the people’s life.
Q: What is the principle pursued by the government in foreign trade relations?
A: The DPRK government employs the policy of maintaining the principles of independence, equality and mutual benefits, as well as credit-first principle in the relations of foreign trade.
The government has so far developed trade relations holding fast to these principles and given active support and assistance to the developing countries in their efforts to establish the fair international economic order.
It has put forward the credit-first policy in trade dealings and ensured that all the trading corporations keep credit in their transactions so as to create better climate for foreign trade of the country. It is making efforts to establish rigid discipline that corporations should ensure the superior quality of exports, keep delivery date and faithfully discharge contractual obligations like payment for imported goods.
Q: I think the issue of making foreign trade diversified and multifarious also assumes due importance in the foreign trade policy of the government.
A: You are right. Article 3 of the Foreign Trade Law stipulates that diversification and variegation of foreign trade constitute a basic way for wide-ranging trade. The State shall ensure to deal with different countries and corporations employing various forms and methods in foreign trade.
For the sake of diversification of foreign trade, we pay a primary attention to the neighbouring countries in developing economic exchange and cooperation including trade.
It is due to the geographical location and role of our country in the economic development of the Northeast Asia and the rest of the world.
And the government executes a policy of expanding the scope of foreign trade to all countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe in its effort to make foreign trade diversified.
Entering the new era, our country intensified the diversified economic exchange and trade transactions with EU member nations.
The EU top level delegation paid a visit to our country in 2001. The DPRK-EU symposium was held in Torino, Italy in March 2007 and the 3rd DPRK-EU economic symposium held in Pyongyang in October 2008. These events marked important occasions in the development of economic and trade relations between the DPRK and the European countries.
The DPRK government is also carrying out the policy of making foreign trade multifarious in keeping with the developing trend of international trade.
It puts a stress on processing trade on the basis of its economic potentialities and up-to-date processing technologies.
The government encourages local trading corporations to import raw materials and accessories and to process and assemble them for export in different sectors of the economy such as textile, clothing, machinery and facilities, rolling stocks and electronic goods.
We are channeling much effort into the export of technological products like software relying on the development of information industry of the country.
Transit trade and consignment trade are also in full swing.
Q: What is the highlight in the export policy of the government at present?
A: The key issue in the export policy is to improve export structure from the export of raw materials into that of processed goods.
The government makes efforts to give full play to the potentialities of existing export bases while building new ones in various sectors, increase the variety and volume of exports and upgrade their quality.
It defined the production bases of internationally competitive goods as strategic export industries, and is concentrating its investment on them and paying a close attention to their scientific and technological development.
The government takes some measures to encourage the export business of the corporations with a view to increasing export volume of the country.
It affords preferential treatments such as loaning from banks and supply of raw materials and power to those export bases and corporations which have cultivated new markets with new items of export or produced and exported hi-tech goods.
Besides, the government simplifies export procedures and upgrades services of the export-related institutions so as to carry on the smooth operation of export business of the country as a whole.
The DPRK government will continue to promote the impartial and reciprocal economic and trade relations with all countries on the principle of independence, mutual respect and equality.
DPRK Tariff System
Foreign Trade, Naenara
Kim Tong Hyok, University of the National Economics
January 2010
The tariff system in the DPRK contributes to protecting the independent national economy and improving people’s livelihood.
The basic aim of the tariff policy in our country is to apply either no or low tariff on materials and goods imported for the acceleration of economic construction and the betterment of people’s life and high tariff on goods that have been or can be produced at home.
First, the government builds a tariff barrier against the imports which can be produced in our country.
High tariff is imposed on such imports as the goods that the domestic factories and enterprises are now producing or have potentials to produce, the products that are not needed at present in economic sectors, and the goods that are of no direct use for enhancing people’s living standards so as to increase the domestic production capacity and raise the quality of the homemade articles to be competitive in the world markets.
Second, the government imposes low or no tariff on the imports which are in short supply or unable to produce at home, i.e. the latest machines and equipment, oil and crude rubber needed for consolidating the foundations of the independent national economy and some of daily necessities that are more profitable to import than to produce at home.
It is impossible for each country to produce by itself all things necessary for its economic construction and people’s life because its natural and economic conditions and the level of productive forces differ from those of others.
Third, the government holds the principle to introduce advanced technologies in executing tariff system.
It imposes no or low tariff on hi-tech products and preferential tariffs on the goods imported by foreign-invested enterprises for the purpose of introducing advanced science and technology.
Fourth, the government defined correct criteria for tariff on the imports and is properly applying them.
It stipulated appropriate criteria of assessing the price of each variety of the imports pursuant to the regulations for the implementation of the DPRK Customs Law and the provisions of the Customs Law, and is now applying them in keeping with the requirements of the developing reality.
Besides, the government has prepared the catalogues of export commodities and the tariff rate table in conformity to the provisions of GATT and exercised tariff system suitable to each phase of development of the national economy, thus further promoting foreign trade and preventing tax evasion and other commercial wrongdoings which exert negative influence upon international markets.
Today the DPRK tariff system makes a big contribution to the protection of the independent national economy and the development of foreign trade.
