Entrepreneur Recalls How North Korean Hemp Biz Dream Turned Into Failure
A gray-haired man in a business suit in October last year spoke to some 300 people who gathered to mark the completion of a textile manufacturer in Pyongyang. The 60-something man was Kim Jeong-tae, president of Pyongyang Hemp Textile.
He carefully took out a sheet of paper from his jacket’s breast pocket and read it with a quivering voice. It was a congratulatory letter from former President Kim Dae-jung.
“The opening of Pyongyang Hemp Textile is an accomplishment by businessmen from the two Koreas and another remarkable achievement matching the establishment of the Kaesong joint industrial complex.”
A big round of applause followed, after which Kim broke into tears.
Nine months later, Kim sat down for an interview with The Dong-A Ilbo with shocking news. Growing haggard over the period, he said “Pyongyang Hemp Textile, which I put my all energy into over a decade, is about to be shut down.”
He carefully took out a sheet of paper from his jacket’s breast pocket and read it with a quivering voice. It was a congratulatory letter from former President Kim Dae-jung.
“The opening of Pyongyang Hemp Textile is an accomplishment by businessmen from the two Koreas and another remarkable achievement matching the establishment of the Kaesong joint industrial complex.”
A big round of applause followed, after which Kim broke into tears.
Nine months later, Kim sat down for an interview with The Dong-A Ilbo with shocking news. Growing haggard over the period, he said “Pyongyang Hemp Textile, which I put my all energy into over a decade, is about to be shut down.”
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