In the period after North Korean conducted its third nuclear test on February 12th this year, the customs process for goods entering the country from China became markedly more difficult, leading the volume of imported goods to decrease markedly. However, in relatively more remote border areas of North Hamkyung Province customs procedures have now been eased, sources from the region say. This means that prices for Chinese goods have also fallen.

One such source from Onsung County on the remote northern tip of North Hamkyung Province told Daily NK on the 10th, “The Chinese authorities started doing more checks on imports from March, so the volume of North Korea-China trade noticeably declined. At the beginning of this month the process was eased, though, and volumes have risen again.”

“Customs procedures in Manpo and Changbai have always been difficult so goods usually took longer to pass through there, but trade volumes are rising in Namyang, Sambong, Hoiryeong and Hyesan,” the source added.

When coupled to inflationary pressures, shrinking trade volumes had a deleterious effect on market prices, leading citizens to comment that China is “giving us pain,” the source noted. At the same time, some traders made excessive profits from selling existing stocks of Chinese light industrial goods.

Daily NK also spoke to a source from Hyesan in Yangkang Province on the subject, learning that “Goods from China could not enter as normal during April, so the jangmadang here in Hyesan went into a slump. Some traders heard that North Korea-China trade had been stopped. There was panic buying, and some things were in short supply for a while, too; however, things are now returning to normal.”

The only Chinese regulation that remains in noticeable effect in the region covers rice.

“Chinese light industrial products can get through customs as normal now, but they are still limiting imports of rice. It’s not as if it’s banned totally, but the amounts are being limited,” the Hyesan source confirmed.