Organizers and participants in two upcoming international trade exhibitions in North Korea have expressed doubts over whether the events will be held as scheduled due to ongoing strict measures to block the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Representatives of partner organizers based in China told NK News in recent days they believe the upcoming expos will be cancelled, but stressed than an official announcement has yet to be made by the DPRK side.

First up this year is the 1st Chongjin Spring International Trade Fair, scheduled for April 20-24, followed by the 23rd annual Pyongyang Spring International Trade Fair set for May 25-29.

The Chongjin fair would be only the second ever such trade fair in the east-coast city following the inaugural event last October, but the Pyongyang event is the country’s largest international expo — and one which has seen growing participation in recent years.

The exhibitions are a chance for both North Korean and foreign companies to advertise their products and services to prospective buyers and partners, sometimes including items prohibited for trade under international sanctions.

Local North Koreans are also known to shop for foreign household goods and discover new DPRK brands at the expos which feature booths set up more as pop-up stores.

But both upcoming events through May are likely to be canceled or postponed, according to those involved, as North Korea remains closed to travelers and strict quarantining of imported goods is reported to continue.

A representative for the OTIM International Freight Forwarding Company in Shanghai told NK News over the phone on Thursday that Korean partners working in their Pyongyang office said the May event in Pyongyang has been “cancelled.”

He cautioned, however, that this does not amount to an official announcement of a cancellation, appearing to signal that, despite doubts even among the North Koreans working for the Chinese company, central organizers in Pyongyang are not yet ready to call it off.

OTIM also has offices in Beijing and Milan, offering services to ship goods and booth displays to Pyongyang for participating companies in the Asian and European markets.

The representative added on Thursday when asked about the Chongjin fair that, while OTIM is not partnered on that specific event, they believe it cannot possibly go forward given current North Korean travel and shipping restrictions and the short time remaining.

Two companies which offer booth space mainly to Chinese participants for multiple trade exhibitions in North Korea told NK News they also expect the upcoming trade fairs to be cancelled.

A representative for the Liaoning Yanghan Convention and Exhibition Services Co. — a partner of the Chongjin and Pyongyang fairs –said last week they believe the events will be “delayed,” but said that no official announcement had been made.

The Beijing-based Joy Space Fairs offers booth space for the May expo in Pyongyang, and a representative told NK News over the phone Thursday that while they doubt it can move forward given the COVID-19 situation, it technically remains on schedule absent notice from North Korean partners.

Another informed source in the North Korean travel industry also said on Wednesday that “Korean partners say it has not been officially confirmed but the May [trade fair] will be almost certainly cancelled.”

They added, however, that there is still no word on how the 16th Pyongyang Autumn International Trade Fair scheduled for September — the second-largest trade fair in the country — may be affected by the global COVID-19 situation.

Last year’s spring Pyongyang trade fair attracted the participation of over 450 foreign and domestic companies — nearly half of which were Chinese — representing the highest turnout on record across both spring and fall events.

In addition to the long-running Pyongyang spring and autumn trade fairs, as well as similar events in Rason in the fall, recent years have seen the appearance of multiple new trade fairs primarily involving Chinese companies, as the North Korean market has grown more appealing to small and medium businesses in China.

But with no indication of an imminent end to North Korea’s strict coronavirus measures, this year is likely to not only threaten the country’s existing trade, but also upend the potential for new partnerships that would otherwise be forged at upcoming exhibitions.

Meanwhile, one major upcoming international event that has already been canceled due to the virus was the Pyongyang Marathon scheduled for April 12, while organizers also recently announced the Pyongyang International Film Festival would be postponed from September to October.

Edited by Oliver Hotham