North Korean authorities have recently dispatched many new trade officials to China, suggesting that they intend to actively expand trading activity with the country.
Speaking anonymously, a Daily NK source in China said recently that the North Korean authorities dispatched about 200 trade officials to China early last month.
The new trade officials, who are all in their 30s and 40s and married, have left their families in North Korea. Most belong to large-scale trading companies with their headquarters in Pyongyang.
They are also familiar with trade with China. After being selected for service in the country, they have been learning Chinese since North Korea closed its border with its neighbor due to COVID-19 and have undergone training on China’s trade procedures and environment.
Upon arriving in China, Pyongyang ordered them to import mostly computer-related electronic goods, including monitors, mice, keyboards, and desktop parts. They are placing large-scale orders of at least 10,000 units for each item.
Meanwhile, North Korea’s Cabinet recently ordered large-scale trading companies such as the Korea Mangyong-Sogam Trading Corporation and Korean Unha Yaksu Trading Corporation to expand trade, instructing them to import electronics and software with the latest technology.
New electronics could be replacements for old technology
It is unknown which agencies will use these computer products imported from China and how. However, people have long called for replacing old and low-capacity computer products in North Korea.
“North Korean trade officials have been demanding computer products equipped with the latest technology while closely studying the market to acquire goods at the lowest cost,” the source said. “The new trading officials who just arrived in China are well acquainted with not only channels to acquire goods in China, but also low-cost Chinese internet platforms and factory wholesale purchases.”
North Korean trade officials have been going back and forth from Shenzhen, Guangdong province, where many computer-related factories are concentrated, to purchase low-cost products, mostly low-end Chinese-made goods.
They send the acquired products to North Korea through Hunchun and Changbai in Jilin province. Most new trade officials are based in Dandong, Liaoning province, but they send their goods through Jilin province because Dandong’s customs officials conduct strict clearance inspections.
Daily NK previously reported — quoting sources in China — that North Korean trade officials were sending many internationally sanctioned items to North Korea through Jilin province. This came after Chinese customs authorities tightened controls on exports through Liaoning province.
North Korean authorities have also been tightening controls on newly dispatched trade officials. The source said that the trade officials have been reporting everything they do up the chain of command, including who they met and what they talked about. They also visit North Korean diplomatic compounds weekly for reviews and ideological training.
“One of the reasons trade officials remain in Dandong despite the major trade route between China and North Korea shifting from Liaoning province to Jilin province is because they receive many orders and controls from the consulate,” the source said. “From the perspective of the North Korean authorities, it’s easier to manage the officials if they stay in Dandong.”
Daily NK works with a network of sources living in North Korea, China, and elsewhere. Their identities remain anonymous for security reasons.
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