North Korea recently proposed a new strategic goal of "concentrating all forces for economic construction." North Korean companies have invested more technology and equipment and introduced new business ideas. A few days ago, CCTV reporters came to the Liuyuan shoe factory, a benchmark enterprise for the development of the Korean footwear industry, to see what changes have taken place here.

Introducing independent research and development of new equipment

Founded in 1988, Liuyuan Shoe Factory is the first injection molding sneaker factory in North Korea. Originally invested in the construction of foreign cadres, and later changed hands because of poor management, and eventually was nationalized by North Korea.


Ren Yixiong is the chief engineer of the factory. He told reporters that the factory used an old imported production line, mainly producing single-shoes and sports shoes. Although cheap and durable, the production and design cannot meet the domestic consumption needs of North Korea.




Last year, the Liuyuan shoe factory was rebuilt under the arrangement and supervision of the state, and introduced new mechanical equipment independently developed by Korean technicians, which greatly improved production efficiency. Ren Yixiong introduced that the newly-built production line is designed and manufactured by the technicians of Pyongyang Footwear Machinery Factory and Liuyuan Shoe Factory. It has automatic operation and low power loss. It can produce 2000 pairs of shoes every day and the annual output can reach 1 million pairs.


Another factor that can stabilize production is the protection of electricity. Since July last year, Liuyuan shoe factory began to use solar energy on a large scale. More than 1,200 solar panels are placed on the roof of the shoe factory, which can guarantee 80% of the shoe factory's electricity demand.




Increase design and development


The shoe style design is also a top priority for shoe factories, and the shoe factory has set up a special design department for this purpose. Shen Enxin is the main designer of Liuyuan Shoe Factory. He has been working in the factory since he graduated from university. Every week her design team is able to design more than a dozen new styles.




Last year alone, this department developed and produced more than 200 new style shoes, which are very popular among North Korean consumers. Shen Enxin introduced that when designing, he will understand the world's fashion trends and combine the preferences of the Korean people to form a Korean-style design.


Some shoes are designed for students and are priced at 15,000 won, about 12 yuan. Some football shoes are more fashionable in color and are priced at 84,000 Korean won, which is about 65 yuan.