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North Korea’s commercial transactions with neighboring China are expected to account for 80 percent of the country’s total international trade this year, excluding Inter-Korean trade, a local think tank said Sunday.
The report by the LG Economic Research Institute showed that with the exception of March, trade between North Korea and China has been steadily increasing and will be up 20 percent this year compared to the year before.
The report stated, “The highest attention should be paid to actions to link China’s development project of northeastern three provinces (the Changchun-Jilin-Tumen River Pilot Development and Opening Zone) with North Korea’s development of the Rajin- Sonbong and Shinuiju Special Economic and Trade Zone.”

N. Korea considers operating a dormitory at Kaesong
North Korea is reportedly considering operating a dormitory within its borders for its workers at the Kaesong Industrial Complex, a source in Seoul said Saturday. It appeared to be a gesture aimed at supplying more workers to the facility.
A North Korean official in charge of jointly administering the inter-Korean industrial park recently told South Korean officials said on the condition of anonymity that North Korea is “considering operating a temporary dormitory for workers.”

Samsung vs. Apple showdown continues in smartphone market
Sales of the iPhone, Apple Inc.’s iconic smartphone, surpassed the 1 million mark within nine months of its debut in South Korea, rapidly transforming the country's mobile landscape, the phone's local distributor KT Corp. said Sunday.
KT announced that 1.02 million iPhones were activated as of Aug. 16, about nine months after the product's launch in South Korea last November. The No. 2 mobile carrier expects iPhone sales to reach 1.2 million in early October.
The country’s number of smartphone users is expected to surge to 4.8 million this year, about 22 percent of the entire wireless market, from half a million last year, according to industry data.
Meanwhile, sales of Samsung Electronic Co’s Wave smartphone passed 1 million in the European market four months after its debut there in May, industry sources said Sunday.
The 3G smartphone has reportedly placed as one of the top three best sellers in countries such as France, Germany and Austria.

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