On Thursday KCNA reported on the groundbreaking ceremony of a new “shopping mall” in East Pyongyang.

Although the project appears to be a joint venture with a Chinese organization called “The Chinese Group”, this project is under the auspices of the State Commission for Economic Development (the same organization responsible for managing the new Economic Development Zones), rather than the Joint Venture Investment Committee (JVIC).

This is the most visible sign of new Chinese investment since the ouster of Jang Song Thaek in late 2013. Among Jang’s