South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) is hoping to influence U.S. attitudes towards North Korea and improve the “timeliness” of international and domestic policymaking through a new outsourced research project, a document seen by NK News this week showed.

In a proposal released earlier this month, the foreign ministry said it planned to commission “policy research” on the “current state of North Korea’s steps towards  reform and opening.”

Through the project, the MOFA aims to publish English-language findings on the “real state of North Korean economy” and “actively utilize” it in public diplomacy targeting the U.S. government and general public.

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