State-led smuggling remains suspended due to high water levels on the Yalu River following heavy rains last month, driving a steep increase in the prices of imported goods in Hyesan, Daily NK has learned.
“With cross-border smuggling still off limits, the prices of imported goods, including electronic devices, have been rising across the board in Hyesan,” a source in Ryanggang province told Daily NK on Aug. 23, speaking anonymously.
According to the source, state-led smuggling has not resumed since its suspension during an on-the-spot guidance by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the city of Samjiyon on July 10.
State-led smuggling is a form of unofficial trade overseen by North Korea’s Ministry of State Security.
State-led smuggling was supposed to resume on July 21, but when the Yalu River waters began rising during the monsoon rain, the green light was not given, and the ban remains in effect.
High water levels have prevented the resumption of state-sanctioned smuggling, which the North Korean government had initially suspended.
Higher water levels on the Yalu River make it very difficult to safely transport goods across the border from China to North Korea.
In past years, state-led smuggling has often been suspended for several days when the Yalu River began to rise during monsoon rains. But the pause has been extended this year due to serious damage caused by record-setting rain, and it remains uncertain when authorities will allow smuggling to resume.