North Korean freight train arrives in Dandong for the third day amid confirmation of Chinese government resumption

Medicines, daily necessities, building materials, etc. are loaded… North Korean source “Agreement to operate 500 freight cars in the first month”

North Korea’s third freight train arrived in Dandong, China on the 18th, after it resumed operation on the 16th after a year and a half.

According to sources in Dandong, North Korea’s second freight train returned to Sinuiju at around 7 am on the 18th after crossing the Zhongzouui Bridge (中朝友誼橋) that connects North Korea and China.

The freight train arrived at Dandong Station the day before and loaded goods from the customs warehouse.

The third North Korean freight train arrived in Dandong at 8:30 am on the same day.

The number of wagons was similar to that of the previous freight train.

North Korea’s first freight train, which resumed operation after a year and a half of suspension due to COVID-19, entered Dandong on the 16th, loaded the goods, and returned the next day.

A source with North Korea said, “North Korea and China have agreed to operate about 500 freight trains in the first month of resuming freight train service.”

They explained, “These were determined by predicting the demand for supplies ahead of Lunar New Year (February 1) and the Day of Gwangmyeong (February 16), the birthday of Chairman Kim Jong-il.”

Based on the 13 freight trains of the first freight train, the number of freight trains operating at least 38 times a month is a recovery to the pre-COVID-19 level.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) confirmed at a regular briefing on the previous day that “railway freight transportation from Dandong to Sinuiju has already resumed” and “both sides will properly carry out freight transportation tasks on the basis of ensuring quarantine and safety, and “I will help with trade,” he said.

Earlier, South Korean government sources and Chinese sources also predicted that for the time being, freight trains between North Korea and China would operate daily.

North Korean traders from Dandong and Hunchun told China’s state-run Global Times about the operation of the freight train, saying, “It is because there are too many necessities that North Korea has already purchased from China and has not been able to import.” “I ordered it before,” he said.

They added, “We look forward to the full resumption of North Korea-China overland trade, including not only railroads but also trucks.”

Chinese experts on North Korea noted that the freight train service was resumed ahead of the biggest holidays in North Korea, such as Lunar New Year and Gwangmyeongseongjeol.

“The cargo from China to North Korea will play an important role in securing holiday supplies and stabilizing public sentiment,” said Lu Chao, a researcher at the Liaoning Provincial Academy of Social Sciences.

“North Korea’s major industries, especially the chemical industry, are in the form of importing raw materials from China and exporting products to China,” he said. “, he added.

Meanwhile, Radio Free Asia (RFA) of the United States said about 40 workers who had completed the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine were sent to load the cargo on a North Korean freight train for 200 yuan (37,000 won) per day, and they came into contact with outsiders. It is said that group lodging and lodging are prohibited.

/yunhap news