The Rason Hyesong General Development Company was selected as one of the top ten businesses of the DPRK in succession for 2023 and 2024.

The company is drawing attention for the high rate of fulfilment of plan, the high output value and monthly average remuneration per employee and the rapid growth. Although it has been only some years since it took the development of advanced information technology as its major type of business, it is now recognized as one of the promising companies in the field which are large in scale, bring in large profits and conduct wide-ranging external exchanges with a great competitive edge.

The company was originally a small commercial unit. It changed its business type eight times to develop into the present high-tech development base with a world competitive edge.

What is characteristic of its changeovers is that though most of them were made in the areas it was unfamiliar with breaking with the conventional practice, those were very appropriate and right choices that marked crucial occasions for the company’s development and leap forward.

The switch from knitting and garment processing to IT development can be cited as an example.

The once knitting and garment processing unit faced unprecedented difficulties in 2018.

Due to the external factors, the knitting and garment processing industry which had been making steady progress was brought to a halt.

Managing officials, technicians and employees groped a way out for the survival of their unit.

They boldly found a solution in developing technologies with a world competitive advantage and establishing and expanding high-tech industries on that basis.

As they made an in-depth study of the global trend in the IT field and the reality of their country, they concluded that a switch to IT development was the best policy for rapidly reviving the unit and putting its business management and activities on a stable and promising track, unaffected by any objective factors.

At that time, some people were surprised, wondering how a knitting and garment processing unit could turn to the development of information technology.

However, the unit boldly made the turnaround with the confidence and courage that it should not follow but overtake the rapidly developing world.

It set three major goals of its business activities in keeping with the technical features of the IT industry. One was the organization of the far-sighted staff department, the other was the formation of a world-level technical force and another was the rapid development of the enterprise.

It also selected two core assets in accordance with the switchover to the technology industry.

They were talents and time, with the former being set as the principal asset.

The construction of the buildings of the development base and the purchase of computers and lots of other technical equipment required a huge amount of money and labour, but it was much more arduous to gain and manage talents.

The unit spared nothing for building up its talent force.

After bringing talents one by one, it formed a technology development team and frequently organized intensive short courses and experience-sharing workshops to encourage technicians to share knowledge, achievements and experience among them and compete with each other.

And the management and employees, including the manager, made every effort to provide a springboard for IT development while making the most of time.

The company has made a great deal of latest IT achievements. For example, it developed a communication system and technology essential for IT development.

Many foreign businesses reportedly hope for technical cooperation and exchanges with the Rason Hyesong General Development Company as it demonstrates great proficiency.