Rail traffic between China and North Korea resumes after several months of stoppage

Rail traffic between China and North Korea resumed on Monday morning after nearly five months of shutdown.

PA - 092611+0900

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

Rail traffic between two of the most closed countries in the world since the start of the health crisis resumed on Monday morning.

A train has left the Chinese city of Dandong for North Korea, information confirmed by Beijing.

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With our correspondent in Seoul

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It is the first freight car to enter North Korea in five months, as trade came to a halt during the Chinese border city's quarantine and the pandemic in North Korea.

A recovery in trade that should be expected to last.

More than ever isolated from the rest of the world since the official appearance of the first case of Covid-19, North Korea needs its Chinese ally.

The resumption of rail traffic, for the first time since the end of April, follows statements by Kim Jong-un in early September.

He had promised to solve the chronic shortages of food and basic necessities, in particular due to the prolonged isolation of the country.

Strict quarantine for imported products

But whatever the origin of the shipment that crossed the North Korean border from the city of Dandong on Monday morning, the products are not about to end up on the shelves of Pyongyang's markets.

North Korean health policy imposes a strict three-month quarantine on imported products before they can be consumed by the population.

One way to reduce health risks as Kim Jong-un recently assured that his country had managed to

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Especially since the vaccination campaign is due to start in November and Pyongyang does not seem willing to accept the serums provided by Covax but rather those of its Chinese ally.

And to transport the possible doses, rail traffic seems to be one of the options on the table.

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• China

• North Korea

• Transportation