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. Korean border guard kills Chinese national in late May
A Chinese man was shot and killed by a North Korean border guard while engaged in a smuggling operation across the Yalu River in...
N. Korea increases number of guard posts in Hyesan
North Korea has added at least five new guard posts in Hyesan as part of broader efforts to crackdown on smuggling and the "leakage"...
Prices of Chinese-made mobile phones skyrocket in N. Korea
The prices of Chinese mobile phones in North Korea have skyrocketed recently due to increased crackdowns on international calls along the Sino-North Korean border,...
Defector families face resentment in the border region
North Korea’s recent efforts to promote anti-defector sentiment are having some effect in the Sino-North Korean border area, Daily NK has learned.
“Because of the...
Man accused of leaking state secrets sent to political prisoner camp
A North Korean man who made frequent international calls near the Sino-North Korean border with a Chinese mobile phone was recently arrested and sent...
N. Korea focuses on ending ship-based smuggling on border
North Korean authorities recently ordered that ships travelling near the Sino-North Korean border must have a security official on board as part of efforts...
N. Korea to install new surveillance cameras on Sino-NK border
North Korea recently purchased new surveillance cameras from China costing several million dollars, Daily NK has learned.
Given that new surveillance cameras were already installed...
N. Korea to crack down even more on illegal activities in...
North Korea’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) recently held a meeting of high-level officials where they were told to severely punish perpetrators of illegal...
N. Korean gold smugglers arrested near the Sino-NK border
Two North Koreans from South Hwanghae Province were recently arrested after sneaking into Hyesan, Ryanggang Province, to smuggle gold across the Sino-North Korean border,...
N. Korea to permit smuggling over parts of Sino-NK border
North Korean authorities have decided to permit smuggling activities across some portions of the Sino-North Korean border from mid-June on the condition that smugglers...
