Western businessmen to visit North Korea next month

A number of economic delegations from Western countries such as Japan, Australia and the United States are scheduled to visit North Korea next month.

Government officials said Sunday that an investment mission of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham), a business inspection group from Japan`s East Asia Trade Research Institute and trade delegations from Australia and Singapore will visit Pyongyang at the invitation of North Korean authorities. They said that Sweden also will dispatch a trade delegation to North Korea.

The officials said that the series of scheduled visits by Western business delegation reflects that Pyongyang`s all-out diplomatic efforts are paying off. ``According to the results of their visit, it could contribute substantially to North Korea`s economic recovery through trade activities,`` a Seoul government official said.

The AmCham delegation will be led by chairman Jeffrey Jones, who will be leading Procter & Gamble and nine other American firms. They are expected to tap the investment opportunities in social overhead capital, telecommunications and consumer products.

It is noteworthy that a growing number of Western businessmen are visiting Pyongyang at a time when the North Korean-U.S. relations have cooled off following the advent of the U.S. administration of President George W. Bush and the bilateral relations between South and North Korea being at a standstill.

Ha Tae-Won scooop@donga.com