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N. Korea opens first online shopping mall

April 7, 2015
North Korea launched its first online shopping mall, called Okryu, on Apr. 1. (Yonhap)

North Korea launched its first online shopping mall, called Okryu, on Apr. 1. (Yonhap)

By Lee Min-hyung

North Korea has launched its first online shopping mall, the regime’s state-controlled media reported Tuesday.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the North opened the shopping mall, called Okryu, last Wednesday, offering various items including food, medicine, bags, cosmetics and daily necessities.

North Korean citizens can order products with their smart phones or computers, with “high quality but cheap” domestic items then delivered straight to their homes, according to the KNCA.

Experts say the online mall reflects the recent market changes in the regime.

“The North appears to have launched the online mall to encourage consumer spending,” said Tak Sung-han, a research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses. “These days, the regime is trying to secure more capital. The online mall is a good example of the ever changing market in the North.”

As the North is such an isolated country, it has taken a long time to launch the online shopping mall, Tak said.

“The North is trying to leap forward in the IT industry. But it still has a long way to go because it rarely seeks help from other countries.”

The North has over 2.4 million mobile phone subscribers as of last June, according to a report by Egypt’s Orascom Telecom, which operates the mobile operator Koryolink in partnership with the regime.

“The North is trying to jump into the IT market by developing home grown smart phones,” said Nam Sung-wook, a professor at Korea University’s Department of North Korean Studies. “Online shopping malls are key for the IT industry. Given that more than 2 million people use mobile phones in the North, Pyongyang recognizes the importance of technological progress.”

The launch of the online mall is in line with the North’s recent move to push forward its market economy.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said in a recent New Year’s address that the North should not spare any efforts in developing its IT industry.