Cargo trucks line up at China-North Korea border in trade surge
Cargo truck traffic between China's Dandong and North Korea's Sinuiju has surged in mid-2026, with dozens of trucks lining up daily at the border...
Smugglers in Hyesan take up Chinese lessons
North Korean smugglers in their 30s and 40s are rushing to learn Chinese in 2026. The trend is driven by a string of financial...
North Korea vehicle smuggling stalls after fee hike
North Korea has restarted state-led smuggling along its border with China. But vehicle smugglers say a sudden fee hike has brought their business to...
North Korean dried seafood and produce flow into China as luggage checks ease
The year 2026 has brought a noticeable shift in how Chinese customs officials treat travelers crossing the border from North Korea, with sources reporting...
Sinuiju unlicensed lodging crackdown drives travelers to state guesthouses
North Korean authorities intensified a crackdown on unlicensed home lodging operations near the border in 2026, threatening expulsion for repeat offenders and pushing travelers...
North Korea intensifies Chinese mobile phone crackdown ahead of half-year performance review
Security agents in North Korea's border regions have intensified efforts to catch people using Chinese mobile phones, enlisting ordinary citizens alongside informants to monitor...
North Korea tightens grip on China trade by requiring traders to report their partners’...
North Korea has tightened controls over cross-border trade with China by requiring traders to report the identities of their Chinese business partners to state...
North Korea-China trade contacts surge as officials flock to Dandong
North Korean trade officials are streaming into Chinese border cities to meet businesspeople and negotiate import deals, marking a sharp rise in North Korea-China...
North Korea bans border gatherings, criminalizes talk of South Korea
North Korea has intensified controls on gatherings and private conversations in border areas, ordering that groups of three or more people be broken up...
North Korea orders shoot-to-kill at border, coordinates defector tracking with China
North Korea's National Intelligence Agency, the country's primary domestic intelligence agency formerly known as the Ministry of State Security, has issued sweeping new directives...
