Over two dozen South Korean companies have launched dedicated task forces to research and analyze emerging business opportunities in North Korea, research by NK Pro since April shows.

Despite a slew of multilateral and unilateral sanctions prohibiting the vast majority of trade with North Korea, 25 South Korean companies from a wide range of sectors – including some of the nation’s leading household names – have since January launched North Korea-focused teams.

For some, the inter-Korean summit of April 27 played a catalytic role, with South Korea’s three biggest conglomerates – Samsung Securities, Lotte, and Hyundai – all taking