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
North Pyongan Province border guards are being rotated out more frequently
North Korean border patrol units in North Pyongan Province are being rotated out more frequently as part of efforts to end cross-border smuggling and...
N. Korea orders some workers in China to return home
North Korean authorities recently ordered at least some North Korean workers in China to return home, Daily NK has learned.
“The order was announced earlier...
North Korean restaurants in China continue to face difficulties
North Korean restaurants in China near the border with North Korea have yet to return to normal operations and are even sending their sending...
N. Korean road connected to New Yalu River Bridge nears completion
The construction of a North Korean road to the New Yalu River Bridge may be completed by the end of May, Daily NK has...
N. Korea continues to import metal into the country
Shipments of metal were recently spotted being transported by truck into North Korea, despite the ban on such shipments by the UN Security Council,...
Fever outbreak in Ryanggang Province sparks fears of COVID-19
A fever outbreak in Taehongdan County, Ryanggang Province, has sparked fears of the spread of COVID-19 in the area, Daily NK has learned.
“There were...
N. Korea orders workers in China to stay until end of...
North Korea recently ordered its workers in China to stay in the country until at least the end of this year, Daily NK has...
N. Korean authorities refrain from squashing KJU death rumors
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's prolonged absence from the public has fueled rapidly spreading rumors about his death among North Koreans in the...
Ryanggang Province witnesses price spikes
Amid recent news of panic buying and a surge in prices of imported goods in Pyongyang, price hikes have occurred outside of the North...
N. Korean smuggler faces punishment after dash across border
A North Korean who smuggled in cooking oil from China was arrested and is now under quarantine at a medical center in Ryanggang Province,...



















