CHINA/N KOREA: COCA COLA SENDS FIRST SHIPMENT OF SOFT DRINKS INTO PREVIOUSLY ECONOMICALLY ISOLATED NORTH KOREA
Record ID:
588604
CHINA/N KOREA: COCA COLA SENDS FIRST SHIPMENT OF SOFT DRINKS INTO PREVIOUSLY ECONOMICALLY ISOLATED NORTH KOREA
- Title: CHINA/N KOREA: COCA COLA SENDS FIRST SHIPMENT OF SOFT DRINKS INTO PREVIOUSLY ECONOMICALLY ISOLATED NORTH KOREA
- Date: 22nd June 2000
- Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (JUNE 22, 2000) (REUTERS) 1. STILL PHOTOGRAPHS OF WORKERS LOADING CASES OF COCA-COLA ONTO TRUCK FOR DELIVERY TO NORTH KOREA 0.17 HONG KONG, CHINA (JUNE 22, 2000) (REUTERS) 2. SV (SOUNDBITE) (English) LO BING CHUNG, VICE PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR FOR EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, COCA-COLA CHINA LTD., SAYING "On the day when we learn about the lifting of the sanctions in North Korea, we received several phone calls from our colleagues in our Seoul office. And then eventually they put us in touch with our customers from North Korea. Instead of loading our goods to warehouse in Dandong, they want us to load 400 cases of Coca-Cola directly on the truck. So we did so and the truck left Dandong yesterday shortly before noon. Actually our staff was there to witness the whole process when they drove through the border, For Coca-Cola company, we are happy that we can serve some additional customers, consumers in North Korea, We don't have immediate plan but our customers have told us they are coming back and they will buy direct from us from now." 1.30 QINGDAO, CHINA (FILE) (REUTERS) 3. LV COCA COLA BOTTLES IN BOTTLING PLANT 1.39 4. SLV FACTORY WORKERS 1.47 5. CU/SLV/CU BOTTLES OF COKE/ FACTORY WORKER CHECKING QUALITY OF THE BOTTLES GOING THROUGH THE CONVEYOR (4 SHOTS) 2.25 6. SLV CASES OF BOTTLES BEING TRANSPORTED AWAY FROM THE CONVEYOR BELT (2 SHOTS) 2.48 7. MV CUSTOMERS BUYING DRINKS FROM STREET STALL 2.53 BEIJING, CHINA (FILE) (REUTERS) 8. CU UMBRELLA OVER THE STREET STALL HAVING THE PICTURE OF THE COCA-COLA BOTTLE AND LOGO 3.10 9. WIDE OF COCA-COLA CAN BILLBOARD 3.13 10. CU CLOSE OF BILLBOARD 3.16 UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION IN NORTH KOREA (FILE) (CARITAS HANDOUT) 11. VARIOUS OF MALNOURISHED CHILDREN AT A NURSERY (12 SHOTS) 4.10 PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA (FILE - JUNE 7, 2000) (REUTERS) 12. LV BOAT WITH NORTH KOREAN FLAG 4.16 13. VARIOUS OF NORTH KOREANS HAVING A PICNIC BY THE RIVER 4.50 14. VARIOUS OF WOMEN SELLING HERBAL DRINKS (2 SHOTS) 5.03 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 7th July 2000 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BEIJING, QINGDAO AND HONG KONG, CHINA/ PYONGYANG AND UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION IN NORTH KOREA
- City:
- Country: China North Korea
- Reuters ID: LVA399Z39EP370ECEWNG63GNZ9NK
- Story Text: Coca-Cola Co., often viewed as a standard bearer of
capitalism and global trade, has sent a shipment of soft
drinks into North Korea, becoming one of the first U.S.
companies to crack open the economically isolated Stalinist
state.
The first shipment entered North Korea by truck on
Wednesday (June 21) from the Chinese border town of Dandong.
"On the day when we learn about the lifting of the
sanctions in North Korea, we received several phone calls from
our colleagues in our Seoul office. And then eventually they
put us in touch with our customers from North Korea. Instead
of loading our goods to warehouse in Dandong, they want us to
load 400 cases of Coca-Cola directly on the truck. So we did
so and the truck left Dandong yesterday shortly before noon.
Actually our staff was there to witness the whole process when
they drove through the border... For Coca-Cola company, we are
happy that we can serve some additional customers, consumers
in North Korea...We don't have immediate plan but our
customers have told us they are coming back and they will buy
direct from us from now," said Lo Bing Chung of Coca-Cola
Hong Kong.
Coca-Cola, like all other U.S. companies, was prevented
from doing business in communist-ruled North Korea, home to
22.5 million people, for nearly half a century because of U.S.
government sanctions.
Most of the sanctions were lifted on Monday (June 19),
following a groundbreaking summit last week between the
leaders of North and South Korea. Coca-Cola has operated in
South Korea for several decades.
North Korea was one of the few places on earth where
Coke, which has come to symbolize American culture to billions
around the world, was unavailable.
Cuba, Libya and a handful of other nations still under
U.S. sanctions are the only holdouts.
Coca-Cola, which reportedly had been courting North
Korean authorities for several years, said it had identified a
local distributor to transport its products to hotels and
other outlets in the country.
North Korea, often dubbed the "Hermit Kingdom" for its
long-standing unwillingness to establish lines of
communication with most nations, has in recent years been
devastated by famine, floods, drought and mismanagement.
A U.S. congressional report recently estimated that up
to two million people, or about 10 percent of the country's
population, may have died from malnutrition and related
diseases since 1995.
Coca-Cola's move into North Korea is the company's
second major entry into a communist-ruled Asian nation in the
last six years. Coke entered Vietnam shortly after the U.S.
lifted a 30-year economic embargo in 1994.
Coca-Cola's main rival, PepsiCo Inc. , also began
selling its products in Vietnam after the embargo was lifted.
PepsiCo was expected to quickly follow Coca-Cola's lead into
North Korea.
Analysts said tapping into new markets, such as North
Korea and Vietnam, would be a long-term project for the soft
drink giants.
Sicher said North Korea had the potential to become a
"meaningful, though not huge" market for Coca-Cola and other
soft drink companies.
Coca-Cola's move into North Korea has boosted shares at
at the New York Stock Exchange, gaining 9/16 to close at
53-1/2.
PepsiCo rose 9/16 to 42-1/4 on the NYSE.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None