{"id":64808,"date":"2025-09-11T20:07:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T11:07:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/?p=64808"},"modified":"2026-04-06T14:07:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T05:07:48","slug":"north-korean-herb-smugglers-struggle-as-china-tightens-quality-controls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/english\/north-korean-herb-smugglers-struggle-as-china-tightens-quality-controls\/","title":{"rendered":"North Korean herb smugglers struggle as China tightens quality controls"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">North Korean smugglers are facing significant difficulties as Chinese partners increasingly refuse to accept shipments of medicinal herbs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">&#8220;In Hyesan, medicinal herb exports\u2014which used to be thriving\u2014have practically ground to a halt,&#8221; a Daily NK source in Ryanggang province said recently. &#8220;This is happening because Chinese buyers not only refuse to pay our asking prices, but sometimes won&#8217;t accept shipments at all.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"grid-cols-1 grid gap-2.5 [&amp;_&gt;_*]:min-w-0\">\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">The source explained that prices for North Korean medicinal herbs have recently plummeted to 50 Chinese yuan ($6.90) for 600 grams as Chinese traders turn away imports. While herb prices vary by type, products that previously sold for 100 to 150 yuan ($13.80 to $20.70) per 600 grams now fetch only one-third of that amount.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">The disruption stems from intensified inspections of medicinal herbs in China.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">&#8220;Smugglers typically mix counterfeit herbs with genuine ones when shipping to China to boost their profits,&#8221; the source said. &#8220;But now Chinese authorities have set quality standards so high that even shipments without any fakes fail inspection, so Chinese traders simply won&#8217;t take them.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">&#8220;Chinese traders don&#8217;t pay upfront with their own money\u2014they usually accept the goods first, sell them, then pay after turning a profit,&#8221; the source explained. &#8220;But since they&#8217;re not even accepting the items now, the situation has become dire.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h4 class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\"><strong>Border tensions compound the crisis<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Some North Korean smugglers are trying to export herbs to China by finding new trading partners. However, smuggling itself has become increasingly difficult recently, with water levels on the Yalu River\u2014the border between North Korea and China\u2014rising due to recent rainfall. Combined with significantly tightened border controls related to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un&#8217;s visit to Beijing, smuggling operations have essentially stopped.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">North Korean smugglers are struggling to obtain foreign currency as herb exports decline. Smugglers who have already invested heavily in large herb inventories find themselves in an especially difficult position\u2014they can neither ship their goods to China nor sell them profitably in North Korean markets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">Chinese traders who have long profited from selling North Korean medicinal herbs also find themselves in a challenging situation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">According to a source in China, Chinese traders who previously made substantial money importing North Korean herbs for Chinese markets now shake their heads in frustration, saying that with inspections tightening and conditions deteriorating, &#8220;we could end up in debt if we try to sell goods, so it&#8217;s better to avoid accepting consignments and just wait it out.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">The real problem is that ordinary North Koreans who relied on herb collection for their livelihood have been severely impacted now that Chinese market access is blocked.<\/p>\n<p class=\"whitespace-normal break-words\">&#8220;Rural residents have long earned money to buy rice or corn and pay for their children&#8217;s education by gathering herbs and selling them at market,&#8221; the source in Ryanggang province said. &#8220;But now nobody is buying herbs at the markets, so they can&#8217;t make any money.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynk.com\/20250908-4\/\">Read in Korean<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>North Korean smugglers are facing significant difficulties as Chinese partners increasingly refuse to accept shipments of medicinal herbs. &#8220;In Hyesan, medicinal herb exports\u2014which used to be thriving\u2014have practically ground to a halt,&#8221; a Daily NK source in Ryanggang province said recently. &#8220;This is happening because Chinese buyers not only refuse to pay our asking prices, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":43596,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[649,67,645],"tags":[271,717,735,738,759,881,930,1052,1679,100,222],"class_list":["post-64808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-china-north-korea-border","category-news","category-economy","tag-ryanggang-province","tag-smuggling","tag-trade","tag-hyesan","tag-china","tag-yalu-river","tag-foreign-currency","tag-exports","tag-chinese-yuan","tag-markets","tag-border"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v28.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>North Korean herb smugglers struggle as China tightens quality controls - 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-korean-herb-smugglers-struggle-as-china-tightens-quality-controls\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"North Korean herb smugglers struggle as China tightens quality controls\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"North Korean smugglers are facing significant difficulties as Chinese partners increasingly refuse to accept shipments of medicinal herbs. &#8220;In Hyesan, medicinal herb exports\u2014which used to be thriving\u2014have practically ground to a halt,&#8221; 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