Foreign Companies Invited To Sponsor Table Tennis Event In North Korea

Foreign companies are "being offered the chance to sponsor" next month's Int'l Table Tennis Federation Pyongyang Open and to raise their "brand awareness" in North Korea, the event’s organizer said, according to Chad O'Carroll of NK NEWS. Paektu Cultural Exchange Dir Michael Spavor said that proceeds from sponsorship and advertising would go toward "training and medical equipment for local paraplegic athletes." Spavor said, "This is somewhat of a test run, so advertising is very affordable right now." The invitation "marks the first time Western businesses can advertise directly at a DPRK fixture without assistance" from int'l tournament organizers. Given the unilateral sanctions currently in place, sponsorship arrangements that see cash paid to North Korean authorities -- even indirectly through an entity like PCE -- "would likely not be lawful for companies registered in the U.S., South Korea or Japan, among others" (NK NEWS, 7/10).