The number of North Koreans granted work visas by Chinese authorities increased by 17% last year, according to official information released by China’s National Tourism Administration.

93,300 work visas were given to North Korean citizens in 2013 according to the data released on Tuesday, along with roughly 206,600 North Koreans visiting China as tourists.

Geoffrey K. See of Choson Exchange told NK News that the increase could potentially be accounted for by a stronger focus on the economy in North Korea last year.

“Frankly speaking, as much as they want to get investments from elsewhere, the reality is that most of the investments