Amid warming relations between Pyongyang and Moscow, the Rason 4th International Trade Fair wrapped up in late August.

Held in Rason, a north eastern DPRK special economic zone with easy links to both China and Russia, North Korean state media outlet the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that over 100 companies from “China, Russia, Italy, Thailand and other countries,” were in attendance at the event.

But while multiple reports suggest that North Korea has been pushing for increased trade and tourism in recent months, a source working in Rason told NK Newson condition of anonymity that North Korea’s more