This eventually saw all tourism banned and all other visitors required to spend 21 days in quarantine. The field visit to the Rason Special Economic Zone, Rajin-Sonbong, was organized by the NEAEF and the Delegation was led by Drs. Rather than roll out nationwide reforms it was decided that a litmus test was required, something that the old guard in Pyongyang would be able to swallow – and where better to trial a more open system than in the remote northeast. It is handy to stop by here if you plan to go to the Rason market; an enormous market where you can pretty much buy anything, though foreign currency can be used there too. Basically they are not mass produced and sold. The famous Mangyongbong ship, which was once harboured in Wonsan and was used between DPRK and Japan until 2006 is located here. On paper, Rason offered everything to seemingly keep all parties happy: a distance from Pyongyang; a rail link with Russia; an ice-free port; and a border with China’s Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture. © Copyright 2008-2021 www.north-Korea-travel.com. Accordingly, Rajin is the logical base for exploring the region, as any corner of Rason can be visited from here on a day trip. The Rason Special Economic Zone is one of the most ambitious attempts by North Korea at limited economic reforms. Soldiers greeting locals at a military parade, Description & Pictures of Hotels in Pyongyang, We accept PayPal and credit/debit card payments. Rason is home to some of North Korea’s finest lagoons, beaches and hills © Carl Meadows. We offer trips to this peculiar area of the DPRK. “Rason,” comprised of the two towns of Rajin and Sonbong, as well as their hinterlands, has been some form of economic zone since 1991. Chinese goods tend to be more expensive. Life here may still be hard, but on the face of it few North Koreans will have seen such an improvement in their lives over the last 30 years or so as those of Rajin have done, as it has transformed from being a remote backwater to being admired, somewhat begrudgingly, by the top-of-the-pile Pyongyangites. You will also be able to enjoy a bird's eye view of where DPRK, China and Russia meet. Rason Special Economic Zone July 26, 2018 Saving North Korea's Wetlands By Bryan Betts An economic development push could spell doom for some of … To get straight to the point: Rason is simply mind-boggling. The locals told me the Russian Ruble … On the border to Russia and China, it is one of North Korea's least visited areas, and more difficult to access than other areas in North Korea. While many of these former communist nations went through an economic ‘hard landing’ in the 1990s, the DPRK, as with nearly all things, decided to try and usher in these much-needed changes under draconian controls. Pyongyang to Rason by train with KTG - we took this amazing and unique domestic train route rcently opened to visitors, without guides, lasting 30 hours going from the capital of North Korea to Russia. that the geostrategic location of the Rason Special Economic Zone can help the Changjitu Project achieve a 19% growth rate and create an output of over $200 billion by 2020. We can now start our tours to Rason from Pyongyang or from Yanbian in China (more information below) or Pyongyang itself by train. Article détaillé : Zone économique spéciale de Rason. But this changed dramatically in September 2014 when I travelled to the Northeast and visited the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) of Rason (formerly referred to as Rajin-Sonbong). Football kits, electric fans, fresh seafood, bicycles, motorbikes, kayagums (traditional Korean instrument), fruit... you name it, this market has it! You can obtain Korean won when going to the Kwangbok store in Pyongyang, in fact we regularly arrange a visit there, but you need to exchange it back when leaving the store. Where President Kim Il Sung re-entered Korea after the Liberation from Japanese colonial rule. So whereas you can obtain a North Korean football jersey it will be one belonging to no team, basically just used to have some fun. This is the only part of the country where tourists can visit public markets and use the local currency (DPRK Won) freely in shops, markets, restaurants and hotels throughout the region. It is impossible for you to be a VIP guest to all of them!". Korean Language Summer Course in Pyongyang, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin, China | KTG® Travel guide, Yanji China | KTG® Tours | capital of the Korean Autonomous region, Yanbian, Rajin North Korea Tour | KTG® Tours | trip to Rason, 4 days tour, Rason Tour | KTG® Tours | short budget trip to Rajin and Sonbong in North Korea, Rajin-Sonbong - KTG - a Northeastern adventure in North Korea’s Special Economic Zone. You will see many local fishermen's boats there. You may stumble into Russian sailors, it is also common to see them in the market. These include guide books on how to invest in Rason and the policies of the country regarding foreign investment in the area. Construction is booming in Rason, so you will see a lot of building and interior decoration material on sale just outside of the market. The name Rason comes from a combination of the names of Rajin city and Sonbong county. The water here is unpolluted and crystal clear. Rason is the first and largest Special Economic Zone in North Korea. Rason is famous for being the first, and largest, of North Korea’s special economic zones. Rajin-Sonbong Special Economic Zone - 2 Day Adventure in the far Northeast of North Korea Rajin-Sonbong, aka Rason, is a Special Economic Zone located in the far northeast of the DPRK, bordering Russia and China. He looked at Mr. Kim straight in the eye and said "Mr. Kim, I hear a lot on the news that people are very poor in Korea and that they cannot buy anything. In August 2012, North Korea and China’s Jirin provincial government launched a DPRK-China Rajin-Sonbong management committee for full-fledged development of the zone, according to the source. It is the area of the DPRK where economic experimentation takes place and functions somewhat differently to the rest of the country. Rason Special Economic Zone sees production slowdown in wake of sanctions By Kim Song Il - 2018.11.12 12:22pm A photo of the Wonjong-ri International Market located near Wonjong-ri Customs House in Rason City. We cannot take pictures at Rason Market itself unfortunately. There are several ways to access this corner of North Korea: On the Russian side it is possible to exit the DPRK via Khasan and then from there you can move to Vladivostok and fly to Pyongyang. As global communism essentially collapsed and economic chaos was unleashed from the Baltic Sea to the Bering Strait and beyond, Pyongyang’s main trading partners fell, one by one, by the wayside. Yes, some business has come; the Russians have been trickling money into developing the rail infrastructure and the aforementioned ice-free ports, while China, Mongolia and others have dipped their toes into certain other waters, but most of the business is still small scale and speculative, with many of those who have decided to try their luck in Rason having political or ethnic ties to the DPRK. 3 The plan would also mean that Rason would become a transportation hub for the countries in North East Asia, Visit a local farmer's home which has been visited by the leadership of the country. The Epoch Times has recently obtained internal government documents from a trusted source that revealed more information about China’s financial and agricultural aid … We meet here before going to Rason North Korea and eat at the DPRK Ryugyong hotel, not the one in Pyongyang, Rajin North Korea and Sonbong tours | KTG® Tours | Travel to Rason, special economic zone located in Northeast DPRK. Surprisingly though, there are some US companies too, though because of the travel ban imposed by the US their personnel cannot go there for the time being. It is otherwise known as Rason SEZ (Rason Special Economic Zone). That Rason appears much like other parts of North Korea stands in stark contrast to the Special Economic Zone at Kaesong, near the South Korean border. Pyongyang to Rason with KTG - exploring the DPRK by train with locals. In the background, the Chujin Tourism Hotel. Rajin and Sonbong together make up a special economic zone created in the early 1990s to attract foreign investment in the DPRK and usually used as an "economic experimental area" in North Korea. They serve imported draught beer and have tables outside in the summer. Ok, so what is there to see and do in Rason? The gallery is basically a store as you can purchase any of the paintings shown, except for any with the images of the leaders. 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