March 29, 2024
News

North Korea urges embassies in Pyongyang to place import orders

Request from DPRK's diplomatic affairs bureau could signal a return to routine and regular trade, expert says

North Korean authorities urged the handful of remaining embassies in Pyongyang to prepare orders for foreign supplies and products, multiple informed sources told NK News, a sign that trade with the outside world may continue to creep up.

The development comes amid recent indicators that North Korea may soon open a COVID-19 disinfection zone to facilitate the import of items through China over land. Sea-based trade has increased slowly over the past few months, but the disinfection zone at an airport near Sinuiju has yet to start operating.

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