Dandong's Locks Come Undone After the China-DPRK Summit

June 30 — A long column of freight trucks queued on the China-Korea Friendship Bridge (Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, 中朝友誼橋).

It has been just over a month since Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Pyongyang, held a summit with Korean Workers' Party General Secretary Kim Jong Un, and emphasized that the "level of substantive cooperation" between China and North Korea "must be raised" — urging the full resumption of border crossing points and the expansion of people-to-people exchanges.

Have substantive changes emerged in Dandong City, Liaoning Province — which faces Sinuiju across the Amnok River — in the wake of the China-DPRK summit? Over the course of a two-night, three-day trip along the China-DPRK border from June 30, conducted alongside China-DPRK traders, meaningful changes were detected.

The first thing encountered upon returning to downtown Dandong — my first visit in some eight months — was a long queue of trucks in front of the Dandong Customs House. These were trucks heading into North Korea. Several hours later, these trucks crossed the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge over the course of roughly three hours, entering Sinuiju. The spectacle of trucks stretching all the way from the Dandong Customs House, across the Amnok River Bridge, and to the Sinuiju Customs House was a remarkable sight — one that could not have been seen last year.

July 1 (morning) — An international passenger train departing Dandong crosses the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge (中朝友誼橋) en route to Sinuiju.

"China-DPRK trade volume, which began to increase gradually from last December, surged significantly following Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Pyongyang in April of this year. When China-DPRK trade was at its peak before the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 300 trucks would cross per day — and the volume is now approaching that level."

This is according to a trader who accompanied the author on the trip. Indeed, China-DPRK trade volume for April of this year was tallied at approximately USD 326 million (approximately KRW 498.8 billion) — recording its highest level in approximately eight years and five months since November 2017. Dandong traders involved in China-DPRK commerce, however, indicated that far more goods are entering North Korea than the official statistics reflect. Large quantities of construction materials, medical equipment, and pharmaceuticals required for the local construction projects that North Korea is currently pursuing as a priority program are reportedly being exported.

KEY FIGURES

$326M	8yr 5mo	300+/day	60–70K	¥3,500–3,800	10+ yrs
China-DPRK Trade, April 2025	Highest Level Since Nov. 2017	Pre-COVID Truck Crossings	DPRK Workers in Dandong	Current Monthly Wage (CNY)	New Amnok Bridge Opening Delay

July 1—A freight train that departed P'yŏngyang's Sŏp'o Station is entering Dandong City.

In shops in the vicinity of the Amnok River Iron Bridge, goods imported from North Korea were readily visible. In addition to Taedonggang Beer, a variety of alcoholic beverages and food products are on sale — including Ryongsŏng Beer, Ponghal Beer, and P'yŏngyang Beer.

The following morning, both a freight train departing Dandong for P'yŏngyang's Sŏp'o Station and a freight train coming out from Sŏp'o Station into Dandong were spotted. At around 11:00 a.m., an international passenger train departed Dandong and crossed the Amnok River Iron Bridge en route to P'yŏngyang. The international train service operates between Beijing and P'yŏngyang four times per week, and between Dandong and P'yŏngyang on a daily basis.

July 1 — A bus is spotted passing over the New Amnok River Bridge (新鴨綠江大橋).

In the wake of the China-DPRK summit, activity related to the opening of the New Amnok River Bridge has also intensified. On July 1, on the North Korean side of the New Amnok River Bridge, construction of ancillary facilities including a customs house and logistics warehouses was proceeding at a vigorous pace. A single bus was also spotted crossing the bridge. Given the current state of construction, however, North Korea's preparations are not expected to be complete until October.

"There has been talk of the New Amnok River Bridge opening for several years, but even the painting of the customs building on the North Korean side has not yet been completed. A schedule for the opening ceremony will only be arranged once construction work on the North Korean side is finished. The timing of the completion of the new bridge being built across the Tumen River by North Korea and Russia will also be a variable — it is likely that the New Amnok River Bridge will open after an opening ceremony is held for the 'Tumen River Motor Vehicle Exclusive Bridge' between North Korea and Russia."

This assessment comes from a Dandong trader. The New Amnok River Bridge was completed in 2014, but its opening has been delayed for more than ten years because North Korea's connecting roads and customs facilities on its side of the bridge have not been put in place.

July 1—Construction of ancillary facilities including a customs house and logistics warehouses is actively under way on the North Korean side of the New Amnok River Bridge.

Dandong is one of only a handful of cities — along with Vladivostok, Russia — in which North Koreans outnumber South Koreans in the resident population. The North Korean workforce currently operating out of Dandong is said to number around 60,000 to 70,000. New personnel have been arriving since last year, and numbers continue to grow steadily.

"Some workers who had gone to Russia's Primorsky Krai are also now coming to Dandong, where working conditions are better. The wages for North Korean workers at processing businesses, which had been around CNY 2,000–2,500 [approximately KRW 450,000–560,000], have recently risen to CNY 3,500–3,800 [approximately KRW 790,000–850,000]. As competition intensifies among Dandong firms that are seriously short of labor, wages continue to rise."

A variety of alcoholic beverages imported from North Korea — including Taedonggang Beer and Ryongsŏng Beer — are on sale at shops in Dandong City.

Without exception, the traders encountered in Dandong stated that "it is clear that the sanctions lock on North Korea has been loosened following the Pyongyang visits by Foreign Minister Wang Yi and President Xi Jinping," and expressed optimism that "because North Korea is pushing forward with local construction projects under the banner of all-around socialist development, there is no way that China-DPRK economic exchanges can do anything but increase."

However, it appears that the changes are not yet at a stage where they are being felt in economic data. International sanctions against North Korea remain officially in force, and there are numerous constraints — including complex customs clearance procedures and high logistics costs. Although North Korean trade representatives frequently travel out for consultations on various business proposals, and Chinese enterprises are putting forward diverse proposals, it is still at the "consultation stage," and time will be needed before substantive results can be expected.

A variety of alcoholic beverages imported from North Korea — including Taedonggang Beer and Ryongsŏng Beer — are on sale at shops in Dandong City.

About the Author

Jung Chang-hyun  |  Director, Peace Economy Research Institute

Historian and journalist. Graduated from the Department of Korean History, Seoul National University; completed doctoral coursework at the same institution. Currently Director of the Peace Economy Research Institute. Has pursued research, writing, and journalistic activities in the fields of inter-Korean relations and modern North Korean history for nearly 30 years.