North Korea may host int'l trade fair

The local government of Kimchuk, North Korea, may plan a trade fair next year, and all countries will be welcome to participate, said Yi Bok-il, the head of the Kimchuk Municipal People's Committee of North Korea, after the opening ceremony of the 6th China Yanji Tumen River Area International Fair for Investment & Trade 2010, held Saturday in Yanji, Jilin Province.

Yi told the Global Times that it is the first time that Kimchuk has taken part in such economic activities, and the city aims to promote economic communication with China and other countries in Northeast Asia.

However, experts had reservations about the extent of North Korea's involvement in the economic development of Northeast Asia.

"Given the uncertainties of North Korea's domestic political and economic orientation in the future, it is still hard to project an overly optimistic estimate of the country's contribution to the economic cooperation to the pan-Northeast Asian area," said Yu Xiao, deputy director of the Center for Northeast Asia Studies at Jilin University.

"It will be a long process and be subject to further observation," he added.

Source: Global Times