Cruise boats have become a regular sight along the Yalu River in Sinuiju, North Pyongan province, the North Korean city sitting directly across from Dandong in China’s Liaoning province. However, with passenger numbers fluctuating and operators struggling to turn a steady profit, the boats now depend heavily on group tours to stay afloat.
According to a Daily NK source in North Pyongan province recently, private investors pay to maintain and fuel the cruise boats under the Yalu River Resort Management Office’s authority, sharing a portion of their profits with the management office.
Any North Korean with an ID card can board a cruise boat for 20,000 North Korean won. Groups can also charter entire vessels for just 200 Chinese yuan ($22), regardless of the group’s size.
This arrangement means cruise boats sometimes host wedding receptions or social gatherings, the source said.
“For boat operators, finding people who can pay the 200 yuan for group cruises is crucial,” the source said. “It’s the only way they can generate enough profit to pay the management office while making money for themselves.”
When cruise boats first launched full-scale operations, passengers flocked to them, with lines forming outside ticket offices. However, passenger numbers have since dropped so dramatically that the cruises now appear largely inactive.
“There were particularly few cruise passengers during rice planting season. Nobody had time to board because everyone was mobilized to work in agricultural villages, and even those who weren’t mobilized avoided cruises to prevent gossip,” the source said. “However, powerful people who didn’t care about appearances paid significant money to go on cruises even during planting season.”
Serving multiple masters
Despite the challenges, cruise boats continue operating regularly. “People with money increasingly look for ways to entertain themselves,” the source said. “Sinuiju is better off than other regions, so people really worry about maintaining their social status. That’s why cruise boat operations continue.”
Cruise boats are occasionally spotted packed with so many passengers they appear ready to sink, but most of these overcrowded cruises are organized by the state for special occasions, the source said.
On North Korea’s most important holidays, such as late leader Kim Il Sung’s birthday (April 15) and Labor Day (May 1), authorities select so-called “innovators” from among workers mobilized to construction sites around Sinuiju and send them on free cruises.
“Naturally, the boats carried as many people as possible because the cruises were free,” the source said. “Cruise boats are sometimes used to promote internal unity and boost morale.”
Ultimately, the cruise boats along the Yalu River in Sinuiju serve multiple purposes, from generating income for private investors to promoting the North Korean regime.
