Again thanks to STRATFOR (link to website only; article requires a subscription), the Chairman of Emaar Properties PJSC, the Middle East’s biggest developer by market value, flew to the North Korean capital in his own plane across the West Sea, aka the Yellow Sea. As STRATFOR notes,
“…The private plane visit is the first of its kind since South and North Korea opened the West Sea route after the first inter-Korean summit in 2000. Mohamed Alabbar, who is seen as the main mover and shaker who transformed Dubai into the hub of the Middle East, is scheduled to visit a world peace center in the Pyongchon district of Pyongyang. The visit is seen as a prelude to future investment in hotels in North Korea…The United Arab Emirates, which already is on an international investment spree, has seen a potential opportunity arise in North Korea that it is moving to exploit.”
Very interesting to speculate on all the motivations behind this visit. After all, one would think there would be many other compelling investment opportunities for Emaar to explore, with less complexity/risk.