Rumors are once again circulating in the China-North Korea border region that the DPRK will reopen overland trade routes in mid-June. Many people on the border, however, are dubious that the rumors are true.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a reporting partner in North Pyongan Province told Daily NK yesterday that word is going around among judiciary officials on the China-North Korea border that “orders have been issued in regards to normalizing freight traffic on the roadway connecting Sinuiju and Dandong by June 12.”
Many border residents, however, remain doubtful. While there have been many promising signs of a reopening in recent months, the border still remains closed. This has left many people thinking that “trade will start when it starts; orders alone can’t guarantee the complete reopening of trade.”
In the first two quarters of 2023, the most important goods to be imported from China were fertilizer, plastic film, and agricultural machinery. However, an expansion of trade in mid-June would come after the end of rice planting season – too late to be of much help to farming efforts.
North Korea still appears hesitant about fully reopening trade routes
Many trade officials in North Korea generally believe that even if overland trade completely re-opens between Sinuiju and Dandong, trading companies will not be able to enjoy the same freedom in conducting trade as they had prior to the pandemic.
At the 6th Session of the 14th Supreme People’s Assembly held in February of last year, North Korea announced that “the government will continue to promote the revitalization of foreign trade through the state’s unitary trade system.”
Even now, the government still appears to be very hesitant about expanding trade beyond the limited degree of state-led trade that is occurring.
As a result, some believe that the state-led trade infrastructure created over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic will not disappear overnight and that the government will continue to limit trade, only allowing certain trading companies to handle imports of items deemed essential by the state.
In fact, a very small number of freight trucks have recently been granted government permission to go back and forth between Sinuiju and Dandong. This suggests that a certain degree of trade is happening under government control.
In Hyesan, meanwhile, government-sanctioned freight trucks were reported to have passed through Hyesan Customs House on their way to China before returning again to North Korea. According to a Daily NK reporting partner in Yanggang Province, these freight trucks carried loads of medicinal herbs, goats, and piglets to China and returned with government-requested supplies like fertilizer.
The reporting partner in North Pyongan Province told Daily NK that “when the government needs something, one or two trucks might get sent out through Sinuiju Customs House. But, of course, the government also has the option to conduct the trade it needs through Hyesan Customs House and Wonjang Customs House in Rajin, so the government probably doesn’t feel any real need to greatly expand overland trade.”
He added: “It seems unlikely this year that the border will open up like it was before the pandemic, with people going back and forth and tourists entering the country.”
Translated by Rose Adams. Edited by Robert Lauler.
Daily NK works with a network of reporting partners who live inside North Korea and China. 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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