Japan’s Sankei Shimbun says North Korea has decided to fully open its free economic zone in Rason City to foreign investors in six months.

Quoting an official from the humanitarian group “Rescue the North Korean People Urgent Action Network,” the Japanese newspaper said that Jang Song-thaek, who is North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s brother-in-law and a senior Workers’ Party official, announced the decision during an inspection of the Rason region earlier this month.

Sankei also said that the South Korean government is analyzing information regarding North Korea’s move to create another free economic zone.

Designated as a free economic zone in 1991, Rason has been only partially open to foreign companies.