The Samjang Customs House in Taehongdan County, Yanggang Province, has yet to reopen despite rumors that suggested it would be opening in mid-March.
“Rumors even claimed that the Samjang Customs House would open on an exact date, Mar. 15, but it hasn’t opened so far,” a reporting partner in Yanggang Province told Daily NK on Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity. “People who had been looking forward to the opening of the customs house are really unhappy.”
Following the collapse of North Korea’s public rationing system in the 1990s, many North Koreans have come to depend on marketplaces for their livelihoods.
Many people have made a living in marketplaces by distributing and selling goods imported from China via trade or illegal smuggling. However, after the closure of the China-North Korea border in January 2020, there was a major drop in the number of imported items available in markets, leading to widespread difficulties for businesspeople.
Given these circumstances, people in Hyesan and other border regions in Yanggang Province were full of anticipation as rumors circulated that Samjang Customs House would open from Mar. 15. Now that the latest rumor has turned out to be untrue, people are disappointed, with some claiming that they have been “tricked again.”
“With rumors of the opening of Samjang Customs House circulating, people were full of hope that they could at least buy some gruel to eat, and donjuLiterally "masters of money," donju refers to people who hav... More and traders were looking forward to making some money. That the customs house is still not open will only increase public disappointment,” the reporting partner said, using a term to describe North Korea’s wealthy entrepreneurial class.
In fact, one trader in Hyesan told Daily NK: “Even if I didn’t completely believe the rumors that the customs house would open, I half-believed them because orders had been handed down by the trade ministry. But the customs house isn’t opening yet, and interest on the money I borrowed to acquire goods is growing by the day. It makes me want to end my life.”
Another resident of Hyesan told Daily NK: “Even though [the government] declared an end to COVID-19, rumors circulated that the customs house would open. I don’t understand why it hasn’t opened yet. People are suffering everywhere, but the customs house remains closed and marketplaces are not open as long as before the COVID-19 outbreak. People who depend on the markets for their livelihoods are losing hope.”
Additionally, discontent among the public is rising recently amid rumors circulating that state-led smuggling activities are taking place in the border regions of Samjiyon and Taehongdan County, the reporting partner added.
Translated by David Black. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Daily NK works with a network of reporting partners who live inside North Korea. Their identities remain anonymous due to security concerns. More information about Daily NK’s reporting partner network and information gathering activities can be found on our FAQ page here.
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