Shortage of Trucks for Relief Goods to North Korea

“We don’t have any vehicles to deliver relief goods to North Korea. Without transportation, we do not have any future plans to deliver goods to North Korea.”

In Dandung, China, the security of transportation means is in a state of emergency. Though the relief goods provided by the South Korean non-governmental organizations have poured into Dandung for the sake of the refugees in Yongcheon, North Korea, the organizations have not prepared any measures for transportation.

“Though we are lacking government-registered vehicles in normal times, the municipal government of Dandung has taken hold of every available vehicle to deliver relief goods of the Chinese government to North Korea on April 30,” remarked Kim Jung-dong, the chief of Dandung Hairun International Transportation Agency, adding, “A transportation war has occurred in Dandung.”

Right now, the amount of registered trucks that can go in and out of the China-North Korea border are only about 100.

Only several dozens of North Korean trucks have come out of North Korea to Dandung. As it should be authorized by North Korean government and registered to the municipal government of Dandung in order to make use of the other trucks, the amount of transportation cannot be increased immediately.

Transportation fares are being greatly marked. Several days ago, the fare from Dandung to Sineuiju of North Korea for a six to seven ton heavy truck was 400 yuan, but it was marked up to 700 to 800 yuan in two to three days.

Park Ji-na, chief of overseas business department of “Korea JTS,” which has supplied two ton heavy trucks filled with antibiotics, vaccines, clothes, and blankets to North Korea, remarked that “we reserved trucks to deliver these goods, but the drivers required about 800 to 1000 yuan for each truck.”

Though 300 tons of relief goods such as medicines, clothes, blankets, and food, from several Korean non-governmental organizations including Korea JTS arrived at Dandung on this day, these goods are not being sent North Korea in time except for 20 tons of goods from Korea JTS.

Though it has been expected that container boxes would not be unpacked to check for their delivery to North Korea, the Chinese government has informed that trucks should be utilized due to complications from the customs service.

Yoo-Seong Hwang yshwang@donga.com