A lawyer from Beijing-based Deheng Law Firm signs an agreement with North Korea's Koryo Law Office on October 10 in Pyongyang. (Photo: Courtesy of Deheng Law Firm)

A Chinese law firm held a seminar with its North Korean peer on laws affecting special economic zones and foreign investments, a move a Chinese expert said is likely to aid North Korea's gradual opening up. 

The Beijing-based Deheng Law Firm and North Korea's foreign economy law firm discussed the differences in laws between China and North Korea on special economic zones, international trade and foreign investments at a seminar in Pyongyang, capital of North Korea, on Tuesday. 

Lü Chao, a research fellow at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that North Korea lags behind on legal services especially in areas of foreign investment, but there will be more communication on legal services as the country opens its doors to the world. 

North Korea's foreign economy law firm is an institute affiliated with the country's department of external economic relations and the institute has 25 licensed lawyers, the Deheng Law Firm said in a statement released on its Wechat account.

On October 10, the Deheng Law Firm also held a seminar with North Korea's goryeo law office in Beijing. It was the first time that North Korean lawyers discussed their country's legal system abroad and the first time for Chinese lawyers to hold a seminar with North Korean lawyers, the Deheng Law Firm said. 

The North Korean firm lawyers discussed their country's constitution, criminal and civil laws, as well as regulations on foreign investments. 

A lawyer from the Deheng Law Firm, surnamed Liu, told the Global Times that the seminar offers a chance for lawyers from the two countries to learn more about legal system from each other. 

The Deheng Law Firm quoted a lawyer from North Korea's Koryo Law Office as saying that there are 500 licensed lawyers in North Korea, of whom 200 are based in Pyongyang. 

Most of these lawyers specialize in criminal defense and civil affairs, the law firm said.