Michael Spavor

The seed was planted for this hockey exchange in 2005 when I saw my first DPRK hockey game while living in Pyongyang, a Canadian friend and I thought that this would be a great way to build stronger relationships between Canada and the DPRK.

While Pastor Lim's and Mr Warmbier's situations are regrettable, it would be inappropriate for me to get involved or comment on these serious consular issues which need to be dealt with officially between governments.

Travel to the DPRK does involve certain sensitivities and we provide a thorough safety briefing addressing local rules before entering the country.

They're looking at this as a new East Asian business and tourism hub, it's a nice area, it's on the coast, and it has the same qualities and infrastructure that once made places like Shenzhen and Hong Kong such attractive investment zones.

North Korean beer tastes great and despite the really big demand for it on the east coast, there's no large-scale brewery in the region capable of generating the supply.