Cross-border smuggling in Hyesan, Ryanggang province, has been suspended for more than a month after Chinese authorities intensified enforcement in mid-May. The crackdown appears directly linked to high-level personnel changes in China’s Jilin province police leadership.
A Daily NK source in China reported recently that “border crackdowns that started in the middle of last month are still going strong,” adding that some smugglers “thought they saw an opening recently but got caught red-handed.”
The enforcement has been particularly severe in Changbai, the Chinese border town that sits across from Hyesan. According to the source, security is so tight that “not even a single ant would dare show its face.”
New police chief drives crackdown
The intensified enforcement stems from recent leadership changes in Jilin province. “A new police chief was appointed here in Jilin province, and he ordered a high-intensity crackdown to properly secure the border,” the source explained.
On June 13, Jilin province’s legislative standing committee appointed Chen Yuhuang as the new head of the Jilin Provincial Public Security Department. Following this appointment, provincial police have reportedly focused on establishing order in the border region—a task directly connected to national security concerns.
“Crackdowns always intensify when new high-ranking officials take over to establish their authority,” the source noted. “Border controls had gotten somewhat relaxed, but with the new Public Security Department chief in place, they’ve tightened the screws again.”
The source added that “deploying provincial police personnel to the border for these crackdowns also appears to be Chen’s doing.”
Daily NK previously reported that Chinese border guards had been reinforced with provincial police to strengthen the crackdowns.
Smugglers await window of opportunity
With provincial police personnel expected to withdraw from Jilin’s border areas soon, smugglers in China believe illegal trade operations could resume as early as this month or by early next month at the latest.
North Korean smugglers and others involved in so-called “state smuggling” in the Hyesan region are anxiously waiting for border enforcement to ease so operations can restart.
“The halt in North Korea-China smuggling is seen as a very serious problem here,” said a source in Ryanggang province. “When smuggling gets blocked, exchange rates and prices go haywire—it’s directly tied to people’s daily lives.”
The source added, “Word is that state smuggling could restart within the month at the earliest. Smugglers have finished all their preparations for receiving and sending goods to and from China, and they’re waiting like soldiers ready for battle.”
