Three years into the pandemic, Choson Exchange thrives with online programmes in North Korea
We recently got the chance to check out Gum Rung coffeeshop, located in a leisure complex just next to Pyongyang's bowling alley. Overall, we were impressed: the ambiance is by far the most similar to a cafe in other Asian cities with thriving coffee scenes. The decor is relaxing and the equipment is top-notch, and includes an advanced water filtration system.
For some of the workshop leaders on our March trip to Pyongyang, things turned out to be particularly challenging: In a country where elevators are extremely slow and often get stuck, the point of a quick “elevator pitch” isn’t immediately apparent. So when the North Korean audience pitched the business ideas they had developed during the training, 3 minutes often turned into 5, 10, or 15...
You might be aware of the beautiful new suspension bridge the Chinese built to link North Korea with Dandong (aka the Sino-DPRK Friendship Bridge). For whatever reasons, construction on the North Korean side has stalled for more than 2 years. And this symbol of a North Korea more interested in trade, and a vital link between the country and China, remains stuck in its uncompleted state.
The Russian Railways (in a JV withthe DPRK Railways Ministry) had refurbished a pier in Rason and the rail line to Khasan, in Russia. Three pilot runs of coal to South Korea had taken place and a South Korean consortium comprising steelmaker POSCO, Hyundai Merchant Marine Company and Korail Corporation was looking for investment. By most accounts, it was looking likely that towards end of 2015 the South Korean government was planning to make an exception to allow some kind of investment into the project. (This would require an exemption from the May 24th Sanctions that have banned southern investment in the DPRK since 2010.)
One last night’s sleep in China before heading to Korea. Happy that the other group members seemed young and open minded, I felt safe to go and excited about a whole new experience....I had deliberately tried to avoid reading the news or books about North Korea so as to make myself a blank canvas with an open mind, ready to observe and soak up the experience without preconceptions or prejudice; insofar as possible to see it as it was, not through a filter.
