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. Koreans still defecting across the border in Ryanggang Province
Defections across the Sino-North Korean border in Ryanggang Province continue despite the North Korean government’s efforts to shutdown human traffic across the border, Daily...
Video claiming Kim Jong Un’s death spreads in North Korea
After a video claiming North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has died began circulating in the area of North Korea bordering China, North Korean...
Chinese trucks cross the Sino-North Korean Friendship Bridge
Trade between North Korea and China appears to be restarting following a total shutdown of the border between the two countries in late January.
"Chinese...
N. Korea cracks down on smugglers of South Korean goods
Having closed its borders in order to combat the coronavirus outbreak, North Korea has now implemented a large scale operation to track down smugglers...
China exempts N. Korean traders from ban on foreign arrivals
Despite slapping a ban on the entry of foreign nationals into the country amid coronavirus concerns, China has given an exemption to North Korean...
Sources: N. Korean restaurants in China are slowly reopening
North Korean restaurants in China that had been shut down as a consequence of COVID-19 are now being reopened, Daily NK has learned.
Daily NK...
N. Korean military trading companies set to smuggle in construction materials
North Korea has ordered military-run trading agencies to smuggle in construction materials needed for national projects set to be completed by Oct. 10, the...
China conducts maintenance on Sino-North Korean Friendship Bridge
China conducted maintenance work on the Sino-North Korean Friendship Bridge in what may be preparations for the restart of Sino-North Korean trade, Daily NK...
N. Korea’s state-run smuggling activities continue despite coronavirus
With the COVID-19 pandemic showing no signs of abating, North Korea has intensified its disease control measures, especially for individuals engaging in state-sponsored smuggling...
N. Korean soldiers die after suffering from fevers and breathing problems
Three soldiers guarding the Sino-North Korean border in Chagang Province recently died after suffering from fevers and breathing problems, Daily NK has learned.
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