The North Korea border with China stretches roughly 1,400 kilometers along the Yalu and Tumen rivers and serves as the country’s economic lifeline — a conduit for trade, smuggling, information, and human movement that the regime simultaneously depends on and fears. Daily NK has reported on the North Korea border since 2004, drawing on sources in the border cities of Hyesan, Sinuiju, Hoeryong, and Manpo to track the flow of goods, currency, and people across one of the world’s most heavily militarized frontiers. Our coverage spans legitimate trade, state-sanctioned smuggling, defection attempts, border security crackdowns, and the cat-and-mouse dynamic between ordinary North Koreans and the regime’s enforcement apparatus.
Tag: border
N. Korea continues crackdown on use of Chinese-made mobile phones
Amid the regime's efforts to block the flow of information into and from the country, North Korean authorities recently held lectures in Yanggang Province...
N. Korea and China move away from plans to restart international...
North Korea and China have recently moved away from plans to restart international train service between the two countries, Daily NK has learned.
Daily NK...
N. Korea moves to further strengthen offensive capabilities on Korean border
Following North Korea’s attempt to show off its long-range artillery and medium- and short-ranged super-large multiple rocket launchers during the military parade on Oct....
N. Korean authorities order state security agency to “secretly” arrest defectors...
With defections by North Koreans continuing despite Pyongyang’s sealing of the border to block COVID-19 from entering the country, North Korean authorities have reportedly...
N. Korea locks down areas of border after Storm Corps trooper...
A soldier with the “Storm Corps” deserted his post after shooting a superior to death, leading authorities in the region to lockdown several areas...
N. Korea and China agree to resume train service in late...
North Korea and China have recently agreed to resume international train service, which was suspended in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. A source...
North Korea imports more equipment to monitor communications along border
North Korea recently imported more wiretapping equipment to crack down on international communications made by people in the Sino-North Korean border region, Daily NK...
New contingent of “Storm Corps” sent to Sino-N. Korean border
As North Korea struggles to stop COVID-19 from entering the country by redeploying military units from the nation’s interior to the border, about 100...
New organization cracks down on S. Korean goods on border
North Korean authorities recently created a new organization to crack down on South Korean-made products in the Sino-North Korean border region, Daily NK has...
N. Korean military told to block “quarantine contaminants” at border
North Korean military authorities have recently ordered frontline military units to “strictly” deal with all possible “quarantine contaminants” entering the country through its borders...
