Another Successful Year January 2024 marked the third anniversary of North Korea’s border closure. In the years that have passed, the world outside has reopened and readjusted to a post-Covid reality. Whilst the borders remain closed to (most) foreigners, life in North Korea has also adjusted to their own post-Covid reality. The pandemic and its outcomes have impacted us all in different ways and North Korea is no exception. While international reports vary on the state of affairs in-country, we are pleased to report no drop in enthusiasm and attendance for our online education programmes, whi ..read more

After successfully delivering 8 online programmes to North Korea since the start of the pandemic, we look forward to returning in-country and continuing to develop a hybrid approach to fostering entrepreneurship in-country Since 2020,  every international engagement organization in the DPRK has found itself indefinitely shut out- at least out of actual travel. With borders closed, opportunities for positive development and exchange with North Korea seemed impossible, and many others efforts withdrew from the country to begin the long wait for reopening in the distant future. However, Chos ..read more

Preparing for the future of service innovation in North Korea As covered in our 2020 annual report, unprecedented travel restrictions shifted all of Choson Exchange’s programmes online. This initial challenge had many components: understanding what could and could not be taught online, continuing communication with our DPRK partners through the global pandemic and conceptualizing even how to run an online programme - one of the first of its kind - inside North Korea. Since our first in-country workshops over a decade ago, we have striven to develop a sustainable operating model no matter the ..read more

Preparing for the future of service innovation in North Korea As covered in our 2020 annual report, unprecedented travel restrictions shifted all of Choson Exchange’s programmes online. This initial challenge had many components: understanding what could and could not be taught online, continuing communication with our DPRK partners through the global pandemic and conceptualizing even how to run an online programme - one of the first of its kind - inside North Korea. Since our first in-country workshops over a decade ago, we have striven to develop a sustainable operating model no matter the ..read more

North Korea classroom during a Choson Exchange visit in November 2019 A year like no other has passed, and unprecedented disruption has not spared the DPRK, nor Choson Exchange’s activities within. Confronted with serious questions on how our various in-country programs might persevere in the face of a global lockdown, we have pivoted, adapted and discovered new successes in a slate of new programs that will carry a legacy beyond COVID19. Read more in our 2020 Annual Report. While we entered 2020 with an exciting catalogue of new workshops, summits and educational activities, the majority of ..read more

An image of Wonsan’s Coast. Credits@ChosonExchange As part of our Kangwon Development Initiative, we published an article with the World Economic Forum’s Agenda Blog. We believe that a breakthrough in US-DPRK requires a comprehensive approach to reviewing all aspects of the relationship, present and future, of which economic engagement will be one important aspect. On 5th November 2020, shortly after the US elections, the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the Korean Peninsula hosted a panel discussing inter-Korean economic development of Gangwon (Kangwon) province in the ..read more

Key industry clusters in Kangwon “One province, two governors.” The unique condition of Kangwon (Gangwon) province as described by Gangwon Governor Choi Moon Sil at the recent Jeju Peace Forum.  We recently presented our research and economic roadmap for Kangwon Province at the Jeju Forum. We believe that despite being a divided province, its unique position and developments point towards future opportunities for regional cooperation. Visit the microsite at www.kangwonkorea.com Over the past decade, Kangwon province has been a development priority for the DPRK leadership. Significant ..read more

2020 has proven to be a busy year despite COVID19. Our team continues to innovate and introduce new education programs. We are excited to make coming announcements on some of these programs that have taken place despite COVID19. We also hosted Bryan Tan from the University of Cambridge who has contributed this chapter on the lessons learned from Choson Exchange’s work on what ASEAN can do for inter-Korean economic engagement. We note that this piece was modified by editors significantly to fit the context of the book. Check out the e-book and also our other reports. ASEAN NGOs are well pla ..read more

We came across this recent publication from DPR Korea highlighting some of the developments in the country. Our education efforts in economic policy and entrepreneurship are about long-term human capital development. Having consistently delivered programs for more than a decade, we are proud to see alumni go on to successfully grow their companies. This issue highlighted two companies that have taken part in our programs. Unjong Tea We are proud that the founders of this tea company came to us as part of our 6-month accelerator program, organized with a partner, culminating in a pitch competi ..read more

We were quite pleased to recently come across a paper by program alumni of ours (2018) at Kim Il Sung University. Thanks for Theo Clement for spotting the paper and bringing it to our attention. This paper deals with the development of economic zones. It is highly technical but we found it interesting for the attention it brings to the concept of equity, which is still an important but poorly recognized concept in the DPRK system. We believe laws that protect equity rights and fully develop it are critical for better protection of entrepreneurs and for creating incentives for economic developm ..read more