Doing Business in North Korea

The Institute for Far Eastern Studies (IFES) of Kyungnam University and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Korea Office (FNF) are holding an international conference on Doing Business in North Korea: Business and Finance in the DPRK. This half-day conference—the second in a series focusing on the theme of business—brings together scholars and experts to talk about these less well-known aspects of North Korea.

What is the reality of ‘finance’ in today’s DPRK? Who are the ‘donju’ and what types of entrepreneurial activities and public-private partnerships are they engaged in? Are the government’s recent economic policy measures a sign of the regime adjusting and bending to this new reality? Reflecting on the not-to-distant past, what was the international community’s experience with providing financial services such as household credit to North Korean farmers and technical assistance in financial management to banking officials through the UN’s international agencies? Is the impact of this still visible today?

Likewise, what can we learn from this past interaction, and the new situation, so that South Korea and other actors might engage North Korea in a meaningful way to improve the lives of the people and facilitate positive change? Should we be contemplating a private-led strategy of engagement with the DPRK? If so, what do we need to be cognizant and cautious of with regard to international sanctions and the country itself, among other obstacles and concerns? These are some of the topics we wish to explore.

We welcome your presence to what we hope will be an agenda filled with informative sessions and lively discussions. We look forward to seeing you there.

Dae-Kyu Yoon Director, IFES, Kyungnam University

Lars-André Richter Resident Representative, FNF