North Korean authorities have been storing many recently imported items at a new quarantine facility in Yomju County, North Pyongan Province. The authorities appear to be using the new facility because of the lack of capacity at the Uiju quarantine facility.
Located near Sinuiju, the Yomju facility is apparently good for shipping items to Pyongyang and other interior regions after quarantine processing as it is located on transportation routes to the North Korean capital.
Daily NK has not been able to ascertain how big the facility is, or whether it is fully equipped with quarantine-related equipment and systems.
North Korean authorities recently ordered trade companies to import steel products for construction — including rebars and steel plates — to build Yonpo Greenhouse Farm, which will be built in Hamju County, South Hamgyong Province.
Daily NK understands that the authorities have already imported about 100 tons of steel supplies.
Attending the groundbreaking ceremony for the farm on Feb. 18, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said that to ensure the people have fresh vegetables all year round, the nation should build many greenhouses and “modernize, concentrate, and industrialize” vegetable production. He also called the Yonpo farm the most important construction project of this year.
Accordingly, North Korea appears to be concentrating many of its imports on construction supplies to complete Yonpo Greenhouse Farm within this year.
While issuing the order to import steel products to trade companies, North Korean authorities warned that those that cannot meet their set quotas will have their trade certificates — or waku — revoked.
The organizations have no choice but to meet the import quotas because the authorities designate quotas for each trading company, the source said.
However, because construction supplies are big and expensive, the authorities tasked North Korea’s leading trading companies with the imports rather than small-and-medium sized firms.
A Daily NK investigation has determined that the Ministry of State Security’s Korea Sinhung Trading Corporation and the military’s Kangsong Trading Company are importing the steel products.
North Korean authorities have also imported materials for making military uniforms, the source said.
The uniforms are for soldiers set to participate in ceremonies to mark the Apr. 15 birthday of late North Korean founder Kim Il Sung. The source said the list of imported items included fabric dyed the color of North Korean military uniforms.
Because the uniforms are purely ceremonial, the authorities seem to have imported only a small amount of fabric, he added.
Another source told Daily NK that the country is importing a lot of ceremonial items, supplies for government rations, and gifts ahead of the Apr. 15 holiday. She said the most recently imported items have been things for Kim Il Sung’s birthday or construction supplies.
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