According to China Radio International, China has interest in N. Korea's recently strong economy. The media stated, “S. Korea aided 48 N. Korean officials who went to China to study the market economy." It also, focused on North Korea's actions, such as carrying out currency reform last year.
S. Korea made a budget, about KRW225 million, for aiding education for N. Korean officials. This started from 2008, and a few people thought N. Korea would use it. Surprisingly N. Korea attended the plan, involving high ranking officials from their national strategy committee, the department of foreign affairs, the committee for the promotion of international trade of DPRK and from other private sectors.
A S. Korean official stated, "China is N. Korea's good neighbor that is why this plan will turn out to be successful. S. Korea’s government did not take center stage and it let the Institute of Peace and Unification of the Seoul National University to ask the Korean Center of the DaLian University to teach N. Korean officials."
The Korean Ministry of Strategy and Finance said, "N. Korean officials obviously know that we want to help them to study, but they do not look too bothered about it. It seems they really want to understand the market economy, and they are all ready for it."
Rodong Sinmun, which is N. Korea's official newspaper, released that Kim Jong-il had gone around N. Korea's factories last year, the busiest year for him, for elevating the standard of living for the people.
