No One Can Break China-North Korea Trade Relations Except Pandemic

JAKARTA - Supreme Leader of North Korea (North Korea) Kim Jong-un is pushing for the prevention of the COVID-19 pandemic by tightening the country's almost impassable borders. Kim Jong-un also cut off nearly all trade with China, even allegedly executing customs officials for failing to properly handle imported goods.

Quoting CNN, Monday, November 30, China exported only US $ 253 thousand worth of goods to North Korea in October. That figure fell 99 percent from September to October, according to data published by China's customs administration.

For context, this figure is considerably less than China's exports to Liechtenstein and Monaco during October. China is North Korea's biggest trading partner and is effectively the Kim regime's economic lifeline.

North Korea basically does not significantly import goods from elsewhere. Before major UN sanctions were imposed as penalties for the nuclear weapons program in 2016 and 2017, China accounted for more than 90 percent of North Korea's foreign trade.

The new customs figures, if accurate show Kim Jong-un appears willing to reduce or even cut off trade with China to prevent the virus from entering North Korea, even if it means risking food and fuel supplies across the country. The move is even more extreme, given that mainland China reports only a handful of cases each day.

North Korea has not publicly acknowledged the decline in trade or the reasons behind it. But a pandemic is the most likely explanation. Kim Jong-un has reportedly executed two people for crimes related to COVID-19, including a customs official who did not follow virus prevention rules when importing goods from China.

This was revealed by a member of the South Korean parliament after being briefed by spies. North Korea has not publicly confirmed the execution. North Korean state media on Sunday, November 29 reported that authorities were imposing new, stricter anti-epidemic measures across the country.

These measures include increasing the number of checkpoints at border crossings and tightening entry rules in coastal areas. Authorities have even been ordered to "burn rubbish transported by sea."

North Korea's decision to cut imports from China has affected trade in other directions. Customs data for October showed Chinese imports from North Korea fell. This is forcing industries in China, such as hair and wig producers to look for cheap labor elsewhere.

Chinese hair factories often outsource intensive manual labor to North Korea, ship raw materials, and pay North Korean companies to have their workers complete products. But since the North Korea-China border closed in January, trade flows have dried up. Prices also jumped.

North Korea was one of the first countries in the world to close its borders when news of COVID-19 emerged from Wuhan, China. Nearly all trips to China stop shortly after. This summer, Kaesong City was put into isolation after reports that a defector may have brought in the virus.

North Korea's state media regularly delivers stories reminding the people of the importance of emergency warnings. Experts believe North Korea's wary response comes because Kim Jong-un recognizes how much trouble it will cause to contain the pandemic. He also reflected that the COVID-19 pandemic has weighed on many of the world's best health care systems.

The North Korean government has not publicly acknowledged a single COVID-19 case on its border. But many have questioned that the contagious disease simply did not make it into North Korea. It's nothing, worldwide, COVID-19 has killed more than 1.4 million people and infected 62.6 million.

North Korea has also not yet commented on Joe Biden's victory in the US presidential election. Biden is likely to approach North Korea in a much different way than President Donald Trump.