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 nabbed for sending mobile texts about the coronavirus
Agents with the Ministry of State Security (MSS)’s Bureau 10 arrested two remittance brokers during raids in Hyesan, Ryanggang Province, after discovering texts mentioning...
N. Korea’s security agency emphasizes “loyalty” on Army Day
New documents acquired by Daily NK provide a glimpse into the political and ideological education North Korea’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) recently conducted...
Commodity prices spike in N. Korea following border shutdown
Commodity prices have skyrocketed at local markets throughout North Korea following the North Korea's closure of the country's border with China as part of...
N. Korean workers confined to dormitories in China
North Korean workers at factories and restaurants in China have become confined to their dormitories as the Chinese government continues to fight the Wuhan...
N. Koreans hurting economically due to border shutdown
North Koreans are complaining that their government's shutdown of trade over the Sino-North Korean border due to fears over the Wuhan coronovirus is causing...
N. Korean military smuggles in S. Korean face masks
A trading company affiliated with the Ministry of People's Armed Forces, the military's main logistics agency, recently smuggled in large amounts of health masks...
Key North Korean officials in China recalled home
North Korea recalled some of its key officials based in China back to North Korea in late January and they are currently being quarantined...
N. Korea tightens border to prevent coronavirus outbreak
As the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak continues to worsen in China, North Korea has reportedly ordered military units guarding the 1,400 kilometer-long Sino-North Korean border...
N. Korea quarantines suspected coronavirus cases in Sinuiju
Following the broadcast of a North Korean health ministry official discussing the symptoms of the Wuhan coronavirus on state television on Jan. 21, North...
N. Korea cracks down on corruption in border patrol
North Korea recently launched a crackdown on illegal activities perpetrated by border guards and security officials on the Sino-North Korean border, Daily NK has...
