North Korea has invited Chinese companies to attend an upcoming spring trade fair in Pyongyang, according to a Chinese trade association, a signal that foreign participants from select countries will be able to join the event after their exclusion last year.

The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade branch out of Shandong received invitations for Chinese companies to attend the Pyongyang Spring International Trade Fair hosted by the Korea International Exhibition Corporation (KIEC), the organization announced on WeChat on Sunday.

“The Trade and Investment Promotion Service Center of the Provincial Council for the Promotion of International Trade will