WASHINGTON DC – The third Rason International Trade Fair is scheduled to take place in mid August, copies of English and Chinese language promotional materials for the event show.
The Rason International Trade Fair is modeled on the Pyongyang International Trade Fair which takes place each spring and fall. This is the third trade fair to take place in Rason and it is the only other city to host such a fair outside of Pyongyang.
The trade fair takes place August 19-23 at the Rason Exhibition Hall (site of the previous two trade fairs). Applications must be submitted by July 20th. Fees along with the necessary phone, fax and email addresses are on the flyer.
The Chinese bank account where interested firms are requested to remit their application fees is at the Bank of China, Hunchun Branch, Jilin. In early May 2013 the Bank of China severed its relationship with the DPRK’s Foreign Trade Bank, the North Korean organization that is responsible for managing foreign currency accounts in the DPRK.
Most participants in the Rason International Trade Fair are Chinese companies. Though a participation roster was made available for the first trade fair, no such list was made available for the second. It is likely that a participation roster for the third trade fair will also not be published.
The city of Rason is the DPRK’s first announced special economic zone meant to capitalize on its geographic proximity to Russia and China as well as its ice-free port. Recently the DPRK began to place additional importance to the area, and it has begun attracting some infrastructure investment. Russian and Chinese organizations have rented piers at the port and the Russians have built a Russian gauge railway line that links the Russian railway network to Rason port. The Chinese are also building a small industrial park and working on renovating the roads.
Additionally, the downtown area of the city is undergoing significant renovations. New apartment buildings and service facilities are under construction, and according to long-time tour operators Koryo Tours, later this year new Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il statues will be unveiled there.
Dr. Bernhard Seliger of the Hanns Seidel Foundation has made available the information and registration flyer for the upcoming third Rason International Trade Fair (click images for larger version):
Here is the flyer in Chinese:
Additional information:
1. Read more about the first Rason International Trade Fair here.
2. Read more about the second Rason International Trade Fair here.
Join the influential community of members who rely on NK News original news and in-depth reporting.
Subscribe to read the remaining 412 words of this article.
EXISTING MEMBER?
