As the inter-Korean summit drew closer, talk of every kind poured out.

Economic news in particular became the burning question.

— North Korea may come to be seen as a new blue ocean for the construction industry.

The economics professor on the current-affairs program was dead serious.

— North Korea, cut off from the world for so long, is gradually trying to show itself. It's trying to reconnect broken rail lines, rebuild collapsed bridges and pave new roads. But according to what's known, North Korea's construction technology is said to be stuck at the level of our own technology in the seventies.

— If it's the seventies, the technology gap must be considerable.

When the host chimed in, the professor nodded.

— That's right. It appears to be at a level where it has almost no capacity to build high-rises or long bridges, let alone dams or thermal power plants.

The professor went on about North Korea's level of technology.

— That's why there's talk that even the Kaesong Industrial Complex has hit the limit of its power generation. More companies want to join the complex, but power output can't keep up, so it's hard for new companies to come in. Discussion of our construction companies helping with this is expected to take place at the summit.

— There's talk that Ilhyeon Construction, now renamed Solar Construction, will take an active part in developing North Korea's infrastructure. What do you think, Professor?

— I'd say it's a very positive sign.

— A positive sign?

The professor went on as if he'd been waiting for the question.

— China did it, and so did the former Soviet Union, now split up into Russia — the very first thing each did before opening its economy was to put its infrastructure in order. But North Korea right now doesn't have the capacity to handle that alone, so it seems to have asked us.

— So your prediction is that North Korea's opening isn't far off?

— Yes. Exactly. If the Kaesong Industrial Complex fastened the first button of North Korea's opening, I think…