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| North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands during Kim's fourth visit to China from Jan. 7 to 10. / Yonhap |
By Yi Whan-woo
Smuggling on the North Korea-China has increased following leader Kim Jong-un's fourth visit to China from Jan. 7 to 10, according to sources familiar with Pyongyang.
This raises concern that a thaw in the relationship may disrupt international sanctions on Pyongyang ahead of the second planned summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump in late February.
"Copper and zinc concentrate are being smuggled en masse into China," a source told Daily NK, an online news website about North Korea.
It said Kangsong Trading Company, Yonun Company and Mirim Company were among the North Korean trading firms sending concentrated minerals to China.
"Following Kim's visit, a lot of minerals have been going into China. And even people living near mines are believed to be selling the concentrated minerals they excavated on their own," it added.
Another source said military units, such as the Rearguard General Bureau and the 8th General Bureau have been exporting minerals to China with permission of the Pyongyang regime, while importing diesel and petroleum.
About 70 percent of the export items are zinc, copper, tungsten, molybdenum, magnesia clinker, gold and silver concentrates.
The import items include flour, soybean oil, sugar and other manufactured foodstuffs as well as car and motorcycle parts.
"North Korean citizens are referring to the trade as ‘state-sponsored smuggling,'" the third source said, adding that at least 30 trading companies were involved.
There have been concerns about smuggling every time Kim meets Chinese President Xi Jinping.
For instance, sources witnessed smuggling near the Yalu River following Kim's third visit to China in June 2018. The sources said at the time that Chinese police and border guards began overlooking illegal trading activities.
Kim held four summits with Xi, his most important ally, before and after summits with Trump and President Moon Jae-in.
During their latest summit early this month, Kim and Xi appeared to have discussed a planned summit between Kim and Trump.
Kim has been seeking relief from U.S.-led international sanctions, and also a peace declaration to end the 1950-53 Korean War formally and open the door to more investment.
In his New Year speech, Kim warned that he might take an alternative path if the U.S. did not ease sanctions.
Ties between China and North Korea, which had frayed as Pyongyang stepped up its missile and nuclear tests up to late 2017, have warmed over the past year as Kim engaged with South Korea, the U.S. and China.
