North Korea has recently been relaxing some of its pandemic protocols, including an end to mask mandates in border areas earlier this month. Now, trade companies in Hyesan are gearing up to prepare for the resumption of trade.
“Orders have come down to prepare for the resumption of trade through Hyesan Customs House beginning next week, so trade companies have been busy making preparations,” a source in Yanggang Province told Daily NK on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity due to security reasons.
According to the source, trade companies were ordered earlier this month to prepare for the reopening of Hyesan Customs House and resumption of trade in mid-July. Since then, the companies have been hurriedly running through a gamut of preparations, including sorting medicinal herbs and putting together shipments of export-grade mineral concentrates that have been in storage.
In fact, some trade companies had already started stocking up on medicinal herbs for export prior to the recent orders. Over the past several months, there have been multiple rumors that the customs house would soon reopen. With each of these rounds of rumors ending in dashed hopes, however, companies have been chomping at the bit to resume trade.
“Mineral concentrates can sit around for a long time without any problems, but medicinal herbs can easily grow mold or go bad as the weather gets warmer. With the summer spike in temperatures and recent rains, companies are extremely worried about the herbs going bad,” the source explained.
All the same, the recent orders have led companies to breathe a sigh of relief and set about delegating workers to start sorting through stocks of medicinal herbs.
At the same time, ordinary people who had grown wary of rumors about reopening have regained some of their vigor in response to the recent news, the source said.
“If trade reopens, then money and goods will begin to circulate and revive the markets. If the markets thrive, the people who earn a living through the markets will likewise be better off, so hopes are high. Trade is intimately connected to people’s livelihoods, so people are welcoming the resumption of trade with wide open arms.”
North Korea’s monied entrepeneurial class, the donju, are especially delighted, according to the source.
“Many donju had stocked up on goods thinking that trade would reopen but ended up unable to sell anything or haven’t been able to collect the money they lent to trade companies, so they’ve been suffering quite a bit. For some, their financial situations have been so bad that they’ve been just barely making it by. The thought of trade reopening and the chance to make some money has wiped away the troubled looks on their faces.”
Meanwhile, Daily NK understands that starting Monday, trade-related officials have been frequently coming and going from Hyesan Customs House.
Translated by Rose Adams. Edited by Robert Lauler.
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