New fence blocks well-trodden escape route into China
A section of the new fence at Ershiyidaogou village in Changbai County. [Image / NK Times]
China is installing a formidable barbed wire fence with the latest surveillance cameras along a section of its border with North Korea that is used by escapees.
The fence is almost certainly aimed at preventing illegal crossings by North Koreans seeking to escape their country for a better life in China or elsewhere.
Work began last summer on the fence in the area by a border village called Ershiyidaogou (21st) in Changbai County, Jilin Province, according to an eyewitness quoted in NK Times earlier this month.
“The barbed wire being used is stronger than that used on previous barriers. It can also be electrified,” said the source, who was reached in China and who requested anonymity. “The cameras installed are the latest models with AI technology that is able to quickly identify defectors.”
Once the construction is completed, it is expected that defections will be completely blocked from this part of the Yalu River, the source said.
The location is on the north bank of the river opposite Pochon County in North Korea’s Ryanggang Province.
Both countries have been tightening controls since the COVID-19 pandemic, installing barbed wire and surveillance cameras, the source said. “Even if would-be defectors muster the courage to cross the Yalu River and negotiate the barbed wire, it will be nearly impossible for them to evade the cameras.”
Changbai County has been a key defection route for North Koreans. From the time of the “Arduous March” famine of the 1990s, starving citizens would cross at night to steal food and livestock. Incidents of robbery, murder, and other violent crimes were frequent.
In response, Chinese authorities introduced various measures such as rewards for people who report illegal crossings, along with severe punishment for those helping hide defectors. While such measures steadily strengthened security, they were insufficient to completely deter escapees. In the 2000s, more powerful physical barriers were established, leading to a gradual decrease in the number of defections.
Kang is a reporter at NK Times, a Seoul-based media outlet focused on North Korean issues. He was born in 1978 in Chongjin and graduated from Chongjin 1st High School in North Korea. After 10 years of military service in the 4th Army Corps, he attended Chongjin Agricultural University before defecting.
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