Posted on 10/20/2006 8:14:42 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Customs office on border about to close, officials say
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October 21, 2006 DANDONG, China -- North Korea has few doors open for goods to be imported from the outside world. This Liaoning province city on the border with the North is a major access point for such goods, but the gateway is shutting on the Chinese side as the international community steps up efforts to isolate the North after its Oct. 9 nuclear test.
The Chinese customs office here will shut down for 40 days starting next week, a Chinese border patrol official told the JoongAng Ilbo yesterday. About 80 percent of the goods from China pass through this city to the North, customs officers said, so the closure of the Dandong customs office for more than a month would be a blow to the North Korean economy. In a meeting with North Korean traders at the customs office, the Dandong official said the border patrol unit was ordered to take the measure. "Over the weekend, we will educate our border guards about how to carry out their operations after closing the customs office," said the official, who, like the others interviewed for this story, declined to give his name. "The guards will be intensively trained to stop smuggling." After meeting with the Chinese authorities at the customs office, North Korean businessmen appeared uneasy. "We do not know why China has decided to take such a stern measure at this time, because talks [on the nuclear crisis] are still ongoing," a North Korean trader said. "We will probably know by Monday when the customs office will be shut down." Other traders said they have heard rumors that the customs office will be closed on Wednesday. "North Koreans across the border are now stockpiling goods because they fear that access will be cut off anytime," an ethnic Korean businessman in China said. "I have traded with North Korea for more than a decade, but I have never seen this many goods going into the North." Another Dandong customs official said the amount of shipments to the North has doubled recently. "On Thursday, we had to extend our closing time for about an hour because so much cargo came." While the door from China to the North is about to shut, another door from the North to China remained wide open. Chinese sources here said they have seen more and more cultural treasures smuggled out from the North. They said the smugglers are North Korean officials, including State Security Department and military officers, and that the scale of the deals were far larger than antiques dealing in the past. A North Korean immigrant in China met with the JoongAng Ilbo on Thursday to talk about the illicit dealing. "A large number of cultural treasures were smuggled out from the North, and most of them were sold to Japan," he said. The trader, who normally sells fish, showed photographs of a gold Buddha statue, ceramics and antique accessories he was selling. "North Korean sellers send photos first, asking us to seek potential buyers," he said. "This golden statue of Buddha is particularly expensive. The North Koreans have been bugging me recently to sell it quick." In the photo, a cigarette pack was placed next to the Buddha statue to give viewers a sense of its size. "Do you know where these are coming from? The North Korean Central History Museum," he said.
"This is how far the North has gone."
The museum is a state-run institution, and a source in Dandong said officials were smuggling cultural assets because of reduced government subsidies and lowered salaries. Before smuggling the items out, the staff often informed the authorities that the items were severely damaged, he said. The items were then legitimately moved out from the museum with backing from influential officials. The source said he had seen items smuggled out from the collection of the North's presidential palace, which displays foreign leaders' gifts to the North's late founder Kim Il Sung. by Jin Se-keun, Ser Myo-ja |
Ping!
I know this because I heard him speak on the documentary film "Team America".
hang on to your hat cause here we go!!!
Lower level military, security, and party officials are completely corrupt, and unreliable from Kim Jong-il's standpoint.
Only high-level figures can be kept in control by resorting to non-stop multiple surveillance, and ample bribes(expensive luxury goods from abroad.)
When such luxury goods are no longer obtainable, the living condition of high-level figures could plummet below that of low-level officials. Then, Chia Head's control of them could also break down.
Interesting time in N. Korea.
Interesting. That sounds like at least some officials are concerned about regime security.
Also explains why Chinese are speeding up their construction of the fence.
With China limiting Mr. Kim, I will have to change some of my cynical statements about the Chinese "People's" Republic. We shall see.
btw - have you seen this scrappleface?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1722865/posts
Right. If sanction goes into effect for a long time, they expect half a million refugees overrunning Dandong area. They are also constructing refugee camps.
"They are also constructing refugee camps"
They're thinking ahead. Of course, if they give the refugees any food while they're in the camp, they won't want to leave.
The DPRK 'tipping point' could probably be reached in less than six months--as long as the sanctions work more or less. Then a team of junior KPA officers will step forward and know what to do.
(Shame that Kim's doubles may have to go down as well.)
Yeah if Chinese close up shop Little Kim going be very roaney
HEY how about drop Team America on average North Koreans that really mess with Chia Pet head
make sure insulin and diabetic equipment is banned and maybe that will also have an effect on the Short Donged One
YEAH I Forgot there is report that Chia pet may have type 2 diabetes OH BOY he be up in creek without his diabete medicine I doubt that medical company that Wilford Bumlery is sell to North Korea
Dont forget the other medicine he will need and which we can deny, which begins with a "v". :-)
Hmmmmm .... It looks like the Democrats might have just walked into another door.
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