Maritime trade and port evolution in a socialist developing country: Nampo, gateway of North Korea

http://www.krihs.re.kr/english/main/main.aspNational audienceThis paper is an empirical attempt to evaluate the importance of maritime transport in North Korea. The study refers to port development issues in the socialist developing countries, in terms of constraints and advantages for ports, and proposes some analysis based on Nampo, the main international trading port city in North Korea. Although it faces a number of difficulties such as trade embargo, energy shortages, transport infrastructure dereliction and unstable diplomatic relationships, North Korean trade activity has been maintained. However, the participation of individual ports in these general trends is not well-known due to the scarcity of data. An analysis of cargo vessel movements at North Korean ports during the last two decades is provided, helping to estimate the importance of ports in foreign trade. It appears that the nature and evolution of port activity do not totally match either the Soviet or socialist developing country models, but proceeding to more on the latter. Some comparison with foreign cases of port concentration and port-related industrial development allows for addressing some implications for Nampo. Finally, the importance of free-trade zones and connection to the transport chain is mentioned for the success of the North Korean gatewa