North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, wearing a white marshal uniform, stands in front of soldiers during a photo session, April 27, in this photo released by the Korean Central News Agency. Yonhap

An international trade fair co-hosted by North Korea and China opened for the first time in seven years, according to Pyongyang's state media Friday.

It had been suspended since 2016 after China, the North's traditional ally and biggest trade partner, voted in favor of United Nations sanctions against Pyongyang.

Showcased online during the two-month event that kicked off Thursday were products ranging from agriculture, light industry, construction, fisheries and medicine, the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

"The trade fair will contribute to boosting cooperation between North Korea and China in the field of economics and science and technology," the Korean Central Broadcasting Station also said.

Pyongyang and Beijing jointly held the trade fair every year from 2012 to 2015 in the Chinese city of Dandong on the border with the North. It was cancelled in 2016 amid strained bilateral ties over China's endorsement of U.N. sanctions against the North for its nuclear weapons testing.

The trade fair, to end June 28, marks the North's first international trade event since the COVID-19 outbreak, as the reclusive country seeks to shore up its economy amid crippling sanctions and the prolonged pandemic. (Yonhap)