Russian ties breathing life in North Korean trade town

Bangkok Post Group

Once a North Korean experiment in limited capitalism, the Rason Special Economic Zone appears to have become ground zero for the reclusive country's growing cooperation with Russia, including possible shipments of arms for the war in Ukraine. - REUTERS

Transcript

00:00 This is the Rasson Special Economic Zone, once a North Korean experiment in limited

00:06 capitalism that now appears to be the epicentre of the isolated country's growing ties with

00:11 Russia.

00:13 That's according to regional experts who say it includes possible shipments of arms for

00:18 the war in Ukraine.

00:20 Rasson was established in the 1990s on the border with China and Russia.

00:25 It was a dream destination for many North Koreans, with its booming markets selling imported

00:30 goods.

00:31 "There were many electric bikes imported from China that couldn't be seen in other areas,

00:37 and motorbikes and cars.

00:39 Then things like Czech draft beer started to come in as well.

00:43 So Rasson was a paradise until around 2017, when economic sanctions started to bite."

00:50 That's Lee Chan-wo, a North Korea economy expert at Taekyo University in Japan.

00:55 He says border closures during the pandemic also choked off the town of about 200,000

01:01 people.

01:02 But in recent months, ships have been spotted docking at Rasson's port for the first time

01:07 since 2018.

01:08 US and South Korean officials say they include Russian vessels linked to the country's military

01:14 logistics system.

01:16 Reporters from Seoul have told reporters that an estimated 2,000 containers suspected of

01:21 carrying artillery shells have been sent from Rasson's port, though the Kremlin has denied

01:27 such shipments.

01:28 Satellite images also suggest a spike in trade over the past year via the rail line to Russia,

01:34 seen here opening in 2011.

01:37 Chung Song-hak, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for Security Strategy, said

01:42 possible new cargo depots popped up in May.

01:47 This area was where trains weren't identified at all for a while.

01:51 But especially after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Pyongyang for North

01:55 Korea's July 27 victory day, more train carriages have been spotted.

02:02 Moscow and Pyongyang have been forging tighter ties in the face of what they see as a hostile

02:06 US-led Western camp.

02:09 North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with Russia's Vladimir Putin in September in eastern Russia,

02:14 Kim's first known overseas trip since 2019.

02:18 China, with its larger economy and deeper history with North Korea, may seem the more

02:23 obvious candidate to drive a recovery in Rasson.

02:26 But experts say the country's deepening cooperation with Russia may make a more immediate impact

02:32 now that the two sides are becoming closer against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine.

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