North Korea has issued instructions to its local business populace to actively establish markets across the nation and stay open until late at night for the convenience of customers, the Tokyo Shimbun reported from Beijing Saturday.

The Japanese daily said the North Korean cabinet’s decision is a follow-up to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s instruction to encourage and effectively use markets for socialistic economic management and improvement of people’s lives.

The instructions also sets the opening of markets until after workers’ business hours and places a price ceiling on farm products, food and daily necessities. It also sets the level of state-payable fees for operating shops, based on size and location, the newspaper reported.