To North Korea tomorrow with emergency medicines and daily necessities… Only material exchanges are officially resumed
Freight trains will run every day… Interested in whether to accept U.S. vaccines in the future?
(Dandung = Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Jin-bang = On the morning of the 10th, the Sino-DPRK Friendship Bridge connecting Dandong, Liaoning Province, which is the border area between North Korea and China, and Sinuiju, North Korea. 2022.1.11 chiankim@yna.co.kr
(Beijing Shenyang, Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Park Jong-guk Kim Jin-bang Correspondent Jeong Rae-won = A North Korean freight train entered China after 24 months of blocking the border between North Korea and China.
This is not the stage in which the border has been fully opened, but it has the meaning of partially opening the border after two years of locking it. In particular, this measure is an official resumption of only material exchanges, and there is interest in whether it will be expanded to people-to-people exchanges ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics next month.
A North Korean freight train departing from Sinuiju, North Korea, which borders North Korea and China, arrived in Dandong, Liaoning Province, China on the morning of the 16th, multiple North Korean sources said.
It has been 24 months since North Korea closed the border in January 2020 to prevent the inflow of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). North Korea-China freight train operation is the first in a year and a half since all land trade with China was halted in the summer of the same year.
According to sources, the train crossed from Sinuiju, North Korea, to Dandong at 9:10 a.m. on the same day via the Chojung-Uui Bridge, a railroad that connects North Korea and China.
Sources said, “At around 9 am that day, a North Korean freight train crossed the Yalu River from Sinuiju and arrived in Dandong.
“The freight train is expected to enter North Korea tomorrow with emergency supplies,” he added.
It is known that the freight train operated with the final approval of Chairman Kim Jong-un will go to North Korea with emergency medicines and daily necessities from China.
From now on, it is said that 10 to 20 freight trains in length will enter China every day to load goods.
North Korea and China have been seeking to resume land trade using railroads since last year as the COVID-19 outbreak in northeast China has subsided.
In particular, in November of last year, detailed discussions were completed for the resumption of freight train operation, but were canceled due to the sudden spread of Corona 19 in northeast China.
However, it is unclear whether this freight train operation means a full-fledged resumption of North Korea-China overland trade or whether it will be just a one-time operation.
In response, a source from the South Korean government said, “In fact, it means that material exchanges (North Korea and China) have officially started.”
In addition, as North Korea prepared a new quarantine guideline with the principle of ‘advanced and people’s quarantine’ this year from the lockdown until last year, it is interesting to see whether this material opening will lead to the introduction of US-made vaccines.
Another source emphasized, “Since North Korea opened even the railroad first, we are paying attention to whether it will lead to measures to accept US vaccines in the future.”
Since early this morning, Dandong Public Security has been strengthening the borders near the Chojung-Uui Bridge and Dandong Station and controlling access by the general public.
Hotels near the Yalu River overlooking the Jojungwoo Bridge and Dandong Station are restricted from accepting guests.
Residents of Dandong also posted an article on social networking services (SNS) stating that they had witnessed a North Korean freight train.
On TikTok, a Chinese video platform, a one-minute-long video of a North Korean freight train crossing the Chojung-Uui Bridge was uploaded.
A netizen with the ID Junlebao (君樂寶) posted a video of a freight train saying, “A North Korean train is coming. A North Korean train is coming. Today (16th) the railroad broke through.”
In this video, a train connected to more than 15 North Korean cargo carriages crossed the Chojung-Uui Bridge.
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