By Choi Sung-jin
North Korea's overall technological level remains at that of South Korea in the early 1980s, the Korea Development Bank (KDB) said. The output by the North's major industries is less than 10 percent of the South's, it said.
The state-run bank has revised its report on North Korea's industry every year since it first released booklet in 1995.
According to the 2015 edition, North Korea's industrial output, despite an overall increase recently, still showed too wide a gap to narrow soon. The North's motor vehicle production over the past five years, for instance, totaled 4,000, less than 0.1 percent of the South's 4.52 million.
The North's power generation was 21.6 billion kWh, 4.1 percent of South Korea's. The isolated regime showed relative strength in the non-ferrous metal industry, with its output accounting for 34.7 percent of the South's, the fourth-largest economy in Asia.
The technological gap between the two Koreas varied widely depending on industries, with the North remaining at the levels of the South from the 1960s to the 2000s. Automobile, shipbuilding and paper sectors were at the South's level of the 1960s, and those of petrochemicals, tires, cement and food were at 1970s levels. But those of software have risen to the mid-2000 level of the South.
"To narrow the industrial gap with the South, North Korea will have to make the most of its growth potential, including labor and mineral resources," a KDB official said.
North Korea's overall technological level remains at that of South Korea in the early 1980s, the Korea Development Bank (KDB) said. The output by the North's major industries is less than 10 percent of the South's, it said.
The state-run bank has revised its report on North Korea's industry every year since it first released booklet in 1995.
According to the 2015 edition, North Korea's industrial output, despite an overall increase recently, still showed too wide a gap to narrow soon. The North's motor vehicle production over the past five years, for instance, totaled 4,000, less than 0.1 percent of the South's 4.52 million.
The North's power generation was 21.6 billion kWh, 4.1 percent of South Korea's. The isolated regime showed relative strength in the non-ferrous metal industry, with its output accounting for 34.7 percent of the South's, the fourth-largest economy in Asia.
The technological gap between the two Koreas varied widely depending on industries, with the North remaining at the levels of the South from the 1960s to the 2000s. Automobile, shipbuilding and paper sectors were at the South's level of the 1960s, and those of petrochemicals, tires, cement and food were at 1970s levels. But those of software have risen to the mid-2000 level of the South.
"To narrow the industrial gap with the South, North Korea will have to make the most of its growth potential, including labor and mineral resources," a KDB official said.
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