On 28th, a video footage captured a man smuggling goods from China crossing the Yalu River on a rubber tube in the regions of Hyesan, Yakang province.
It is common for small scale smuggling practices to occur along the Yalu River, though it is unusual to see a person using a rubber tube to illegally bring goods into the country.
Though this incident may be brushed off as ludicrous, it signifies the need for daily necessities and demand for cigarettes which are commonly smuggled into North Korea. However, we cannot exclude the possibility that the goods may be Korean CD’s or even drugs which would be confiscated if officially passed through customs.
Merchants from China and along the border are responsible for these small scale illicit deals. It seems that the man in the video footage is associated to the border guards as he casually gives the items to another guard waiting who wears clothing allocated to the People’s Army.
The man sat on the tube carrying the bundle of items on his chest and used his shoes to paddle his way across the river.
The moment he reaches the riverside, a North Korean border guard approaches him. The bundle of goods is given in exchange for some cigarettes. Then, the two men stand smoking a cigarette and hastily depart.
Goods normally smuggled between North Korea and China are daily necessities such as rice, cigarettes, Chinese instant noodles, cosmetics and underwear.
Many people use this approach to obtain goods since it takes a lot of money and time to pass items through customs.
