{"id":322987,"date":"2026-02-19T09:22:34","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T00:22:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/?p=322987"},"modified":"2026-04-07T13:37:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T04:37:11","slug":"north-korea-halts-state-smuggling-ahead-of-party-congress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-korea-halts-state-smuggling-ahead-of-party-congress\/","title":{"rendered":"North Korea halts state smuggling ahead of party congress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\">North Korean authorities suspended state smuggling across North Pyongan, North Hamgyong and Jagang provinces in early February, ahead of the Ninth Party Congress scheduled for the end of the month, raising fears the crackdown will disrupt consumer goods supplies and push up market prices.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\">According to a Daily NK source in North Pyongan province who requested anonymity for security reasons, border guard units in the province were ordered to halt all cargo transportation along the border on Jan. 31. The order warned that if goods moved across the border, both the parties involved and the border guard units responsible for that stretch would face punishment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\">State smuggling led by government agencies has long taken place in collusion with the border guard. With units now ordered to stand down, smuggling has come to a virtual standstill.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\">In Hyesan, Ryanggang province, a leading smuggling hub, state smuggling had already stopped since late January. In some border areas of North Pyongan, North Hamgyong and Jagang provinces, however, it had continued until recently. The latest order brought even smaller-scale operations to a halt \u2014 in Uiju, North Pyongan province; Hoeryong and Musan, North Hamgyong province; and Chunggang, Jagang province.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\">&#8220;Originally, there was &#8216;room&#8217; to move items through specific stretches of the border during nighttime, but because the border guard units that used to watch smugglers&#8217; backs are playing it safe, smugglers can&#8217;t go out to receive items,&#8221; the source said. &#8220;This means they can&#8217;t smuggle, even if they have money to bribe border guard units.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"text-text-100 mt-2 -mb-1 text-base font-bold\"><strong>Markets brace for shortages as imports dry up<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\">The suspension has created problems for the illicit import of industrial goods \u2014 including cars, car parts, clothing, bags and shoes \u2014 as well as foodstuffs such as rice, cooking oil and processed foods.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\">North Korean authorities currently allow official trade through customs, but imports through official channels focus on production supplies for sectors such as agriculture, industry and construction rather than consumer goods. The suspension of state smuggling is therefore expected to directly affect everyday life.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\">In particular, demand for foreign currency has fallen sharply in recent weeks, dragging down market prices. But if imports contract and distribution slows, prices could reverse course and rise.<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\">&#8220;There won&#8217;t be immediate problems, but if people believe the situation will continue for a bit, there will be hoarding, or prices will skyrocket,&#8221; the source said. &#8220;The key is how markets will endure without smuggling.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal leading-[1.7]\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/20260212-1\/\">Read in Korean<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<!-- Daily NK \u2014 A Note to Readers \u2014 End of Article Pattern -->\n<div style=\"background:#1a1a1a;border-top:3px solid #cc0000;padding:0;margin-top:32px;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;\">\n  <div style=\"padding:20px 24px 24px;\">\n\n    <!-- Header row -->\n    <div style=\"display:flex;align-items:center;gap:12px;margin-bottom:14px;\">\n      <span style=\"background:#cc0000;color:#fff;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:9px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.15em;text-transform:uppercase;padding:3px 8px;flex-shrink:0;\">A Note to Readers<\/span>\n      <div style=\"flex:1;height:1px;background:#333;\"><\/div>\n    <\/div>\n\n    <!-- Intro line -->\n    <p style=\"font-family:Georgia,serif;font-size:15px;color:#fff;font-weight:normal;line-height:1.4;margin:0 0 12px;\">Reporting from inside North Korea<\/p>\n\n    <!-- Body -->\n    <p style=\"font-family:Georgia,serif;font-size:13px;color:#bbb;line-height:1.75;margin:0 0 16px;\">\n      Daily NK operates networks of sources inside North Korea who document events in real-time and transmit information through secure channels. 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According to a Daily NK source in North Pyongan province who [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":128,"featured_media":50541,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wikipediapreview_detectlinks":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,645,649],"tags":[1439,2367,100,181,271,696,731,735,738,773],"class_list":["post-322987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","category-economy","category-china-north-korea-border","tag-hoeryong","tag-ninth-party-congress","tag-markets","tag-sanctions","tag-ryanggang-province","tag-north-pyongan-province","tag-jagang-province","tag-trade","tag-hyesan","tag-north-hamgyong-province"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>North Korea halts state smuggling ahead of party congress - North Korea News \u2014 Daily NK | Latest DPRK Updates 2026<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-korea-halts-state-smuggling-ahead-of-party-congress\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"North Korea halts state smuggling ahead of party congress\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"North Korean authorities suspended state smuggling across North Pyongan, North Hamgyong and Jagang provinces in early February, ahead of the Ninth Party Congress scheduled for the end of the month, raising fears the crackdown will disrupt consumer goods supplies and push up market prices. 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