Recent flood damage to North Korea-China border guard posts and fences has heightened Pyongyang’s concerns about defections and smuggling. While authorities have ordered swift repairs, a lack of materials impedes progress.
On Monday, a Daily NK source in North Pyongan province reported that in early August, North Korean authorities ordered border guards to mobilize all personnel to repair flood-damaged guard posts, fallen fences and utility poles.
The directive set a first-phase deadline of Sept. 9 (North Korea’s founding day) and a second-phase deadline of Oct. 10 (Workers’ Party founding day).
North Pyongan province’s border guards plan to focus on rebuilding collapsed posts and restoring lost fencing and poles by the first deadline. They aim to reinstall surveillance cameras and communication lines by the second deadline.
The two-month timeframe likely accounts for both structural repairs and restoration of communications and power systems.
Currently, border guards are working to rebuild fallen fences, poles and collapsed posts. However, they can’t repair flood-damaged fencing due to lack of materials. The source said authorities are demanding swift restoration without providing any state support for materials or equipment.
Consequently, border guards are asking smugglers to procure materials. This creates the paradoxical situation of requesting help from smugglers to build anti-smuggling infrastructure.
“The state calls for eradicating collusion between border guards and smugglers, but as you can see, they need smugglers’ help just to repair a fence,” the source said. “Is it really possible to end this relationship in such circumstances?”