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The latest issue of DPRK Business Monthly is now available for complimentary download. The regular magazine looks at current international, domestic, and peninsular affairs concerning North Korea while also offering commentary and tourism information on the country.
In recent international news, KCNA reported that a regular Rajin-Khassan cargo train service will run from October this year.

The railway project was highlighted in the historic DPRK-Russia Moscow Declaration, which was signed in August 2001, according to Kim Chang Sik, a department director of the DPRK Ministry of Railways.

“In line with the declaration, a cooperation agreement between the DPRK Ministry of Railways and the Russia Railway Holding Corporation was concluded in April 2008 to be followed by an agreement on a joint venture between Rajin Port and the Corporation,” Kim added.

On the domestic front, AP reported from its Pyongyang bureau that North Korea has unveiled one of its biggest construction projects in recent years: a massive hydroelectric power station that is expected to provide the nation with much-needed electricity.

The power station is North Korea's largest, with two dams and a network of tunnels. The dams harness water from the Jangja and Chongchon rivers. Construction on a second power station further down the Chongchon River is due to begin soon, said the top officials who spoke at the inauguration ceremony.

In regional news, North Korea and China are actively recruiting investors to build additional wharves at Rajin Port, in North Korea's Rajin-Sonbong (Rason) Special Economic Zone, according to the Institute for Far Eastern Studies.

China’s Dandong City Industrial and Information Association announced that it is seeking investments for the construction of a tanker wharf under 10,000 dwt and affiliated facilities.

Meanwhile, North Korea is also planning to build a new port in the Rajin-Sonbong area with a state-of-the-art container distribution capacity. According to the “Rajin New Port Development Plan,” Rajin Port will undergo a major transformation as an international hub port, similar to Pusan Harbor in South Korea. This new port is expected to be built across from the current Rajin Port.
 

DPRK Business Monthly is produced by North Korea expert Paul White.