[The Chosun Ilbo, January 28 2008] N.Korea Opens Online Shopping Mall

North Korea has opened its first internet shopping mall and is now selling hundreds of items online. An "e-shop" section was added to North Korea's official business information site Chollima (www.dprk-economy.com/en/Shop/index.php).

The shop's 14 product categories include machinery, building materials, vehicles, industrial art objects, foodstuffs, daily necessities, stamps, artworks, movies and software. The website even says it accepts credit cards.

The government in Pyongyang recently launched the site in a joint venture with a company in Shenyang, China.

After selecting items and clicking the "order" button, customers can enter their e-mail address or other contact information. The China-based administrator will then contact customers for their credit card number to process the order.

The site was designed and built by North Korea while the Chinese company is renting the Internet server.

This is the first time that North Korea has operated a globally-accessible online shopping mall. The Chollima website also includes North Korean news and economic and trade policies in Korean, English and Chinese for foreign customers and investors.