▲ A North Korean soldier crosses the Yalu River heading for the Southern bank around 3 P.M. on September 1. ⓒ the Daily NK

Around 3 P.M. on the 1st of September, a soldier from the North Korean border garrison stationed at the Yalu River, traversed a section Yalu between Hyesan, Yangkang Province, North Korea and Changbai, China without any hesitation, and was caught on camera by the Daily NK. The soldier, wearing shorts and sneakers, deftly crossed the river in waters as high as his chest, while bringing plastic bags and other stuffs.

No one from the Chinese side or the North Korean side deterred him. On the bank of the North Korean side, a military officer, the presumptive owner of the goods, and other assistants waited for the walking ferryman.

Soldiers from the border garrison stationed at the Yalu River work as middlemen for smugglers for side payments.

If an ordinary North Korean citizen crosses the border in this manner, he/she will be sentenced to over three years of reeducation in a labor camp.

▲ Upon reaching the North Korean riverbank in Hyesan, another soldier helped him. ⓒ the Daily NK

▲ A presumptive owner of stuffs and an official checked them out on the bank. ⓒ the Daily NK

▲ Another soldier heads for China, carrying gas can, to be filled in China. Presumably, it will be sold to fill portable lighters, which is one of the most lucrative businesses in North Korea. ⓒ the Daily NK