Ministry of Unification data shows 325 vehicles identified in a single day

Lawmaker Kim Dae-sik calls for scrutiny of possible UN Security Council violations

North Korea's state media KCNA reported Wednesday that an opening ceremony for the "Korea-China Yalu River Bridge" was held on site on Oct. 15, amid anticipation and attention from the governments and peoples of both countries. [Yonhap]
North Korea's state media KCNA reported Wednesday that an opening ceremony for the "Korea-China Yalu River Bridge" was held on site on Oct. 15, amid anticipation and attention from the governments and peoples of both countries. [Yonhap]

Hundreds of trucks have been spotted entering and leaving the North Korean customs site at the newly opened New Yalu River Bridge, raising concerns that military or strategic materials banned under UN Security Council resolutions may be crossing the border as North Korea and China deepen their ties.

According to data the Ministry of Unification submitted to People Power Party lawmaker Kim Dae-sik of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, about 45 trucks were identified at the North Korean customs site of the New Yalu River Bridge on Thursday morning and about 280 more in the afternoon.

Six container trucks were also spotted on the bridge itself, moving from China toward North Korea. No vehicles were identified traveling in the opposite direction.

The sightings came just one week after the bridge officially opened on Oct. 15, with hundreds of cargo vehicles already appearing at the North Korean customs facility.

The ministry told Kim that "changes in logistics conditions between North Korea and China following the opening of the New Yalu River Bridge, including vehicle and container movements, were partially confirmed through satellite imagery analysis." It added, however, that "it is difficult to verify detailed information such as the types, quantities, and transaction records of individual cargo items through satellite imagery alone."

The New Yalu River Bridge connects Sinuiju in North Korea's North Pyongan Province with Dandong in China. China built the 3,026-meter, four-lane bridge — 33 meters wide — at a cost of about 2.2 billion yuan ($330 million), completing construction in 2014. It sat unused for 12 years after completion due to delays in building connecting roads and customs facilities on the North Korean side, before formally opening this month. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un crossed the bridge on Saturday to make a surprise visit to Dandong in China's Liaoning Province.

"The detection of large-scale cargo movement at the North Korean customs site immediately after the opening of the New Yalu River Bridge is a clear sign that the deepening of North Korea-China ties is now in full swing," Kim said. "The government must mobilize all available satellite surveillance and intelligence networks to closely monitor whether military supplies or strategic materials that would violate UN Security Council resolutions are being transported across the border — going beyond simply tracking the expansion of trade."


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