North Korea is preparing to restart trade through the customs house in Hyesan, Yanggang Province from February, Daily NK has learned.
Accordingly, officials are putting all their effort into building a quarantine station at the customs house in Hyesan, a source inside the country told Daily NK last Friday.
The source, who is based in Yanggang Province, said that the central government issued an order late last month approving the construction of a quarantine station at Hyesan customs.
“In response, Yanggang Province is building the quarantine station by fully mobilizing supplies and personnel,” he said.
According to the source, North Korea has pushed the construction of a quarantine station at Hyesan customs since the middle of 2020. However, construction reportedly proved slow going due to issues in getting central government approval, acquiring equipment and selecting the site.
With the approval order arriving late last month, local authorities are putting all their efforts into building a quarantine station that can simultaneously disinfect vehicles and cargo entering from China, said the source.
Local residents are reportedly expressing anticipation that “life will improve if the customs house opens next year.”
“Everyone is breathing easier at the news that the customs will open. Seeing the construction of the quarantine station, we can really feel it’s going to open,” a resident of Hyesan told Daily NK. “Even if the state cracks down on private trade and tries to stop smuggling, as long as the customs house is open, I’m sure another hole will open up for making money. People are just looking forward to a way to make money opening next year.”
With the protracted closure of the border due to COVID-19, many people have suffered “more than you express in words,” so “everyone is welcoming rumors that Hyesan customs house will open next year,” the source told Daily NK.
In particular, he said the opening of the customs house could also mean that smuggling will once again become possible.
“Smugglers are welcoming the news even more, given that Hyesan is a region that lives on smuggling,” he remarked.
However, some North Koreans reportedly remain skeptical.
In a phone conversation with Daily NK, another resident of Hyesan said that the authorities have been talking about reopening the customs house for the last two years.
“We’ll need to wait and see, as I won’t believe it until I actually see it happen,” he said.
Meanwhile, in Hyesan, the yuan began trading over KPW 1,000 due to the rumors about the customs house.
Daily NK’s source said that people not selling their yuan, they are just hoarding it.
“It doesn’t appear that the trading price for yuan will fall below KPW 1,000 going forward, either,” he added.
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