North Korea’s Crop Imports from China Surge

Trade of crops, livestock, and electric power between North Korea and China at the border areas increased sharply, reported China’s official Xinhua News Agency on Monday.

According to the customs office at the Chinese border city of Dandong of Liaoning Province, China’s export volume of crops such as rice, wheat, and corn to North Korea in the area totaled 66,255 tons from January to October this year, up 52.29 percent compared to the same period last year. Corn export surged by 205 percent to 13,673 tons.

These figures suggest that food shortages in North Korea have not been resolved.

North Korea imported 439 cows from a ranch at Jilin Province through the Dandong customs office on November 9. Since the cows were specially raised for meat, observers say that there may be a large-scale event in Pyongyang.

Meanwhile, North Korea transmitted 1,988 kWh of power to China from January to October through Dandong. The amount was up by 143 percent compared to the same period last year. The Chinese news agency said that North Korea increased the power export to China because the power supply in North Korea has stabilized.

Yoo-Sung Hwang yshwang@donga.com