Rumors are once again circulating that the customs house in Hyesan will open from May, Daily NK has learned.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a reporting partner in Yanggang Province told Daily NK last Wednesday that “rumors are going around again among residents of Hyesan that Hyesan Customs House will open from May, so expectations are rising among people who have been waiting for the customs house to reopen.”
In border regions of Yanggang Province, people have heard rumors of the imminent reopening of customs several times before.
In fact, traders had completed preparations to restart trading based on false rumors circulating late last year and early this year that Hyesan Customs House was going to reopen. Last month, false rumors circulated that Samjang Customs House in Taehongdan County would reopen on a specific date.
Flooded with these false rumors, people have experienced a cycle of expectations and disappointment. With rumors once again spreading, local expectations are soaring that a full resumption of trade is around the corner.
“Talk has been going around among traders that officials from the provincial trade bureau have been going to China through the customs house since Apr. 20,” the reporting partner said. “Because of this, locals have higher expectations than ever that customs is really going to reopen this time.”
Some people have even gone to the customs house to watch it for a while, something that indicates just how fervently locals hope it reopens, the reporting partner said.
“Everyone hopes that it’s not just rumors, and that it really opens this time,” he said, adding that “for people in the border region, trade is a major issue directly connected to their survival.”
One trader in Hyesan told Daily NK that “even if you don’t believe the rumors, if you hear them, you start expecting things and you wait for things to open up. Hope has been followed by disappointment, and there have been many tough days due to that disappointment. But this time, with talk of trade officials going to China through the customs house to discuss export items, there’s hope that the customs house will really open soon. I’m really hoping that day comes as quickly as possible.”
Translated by David Black. 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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