March 29, 2024
Evergreen

How Vladivostok became a hub for North Korean business – and South Korean tourism

The far eastern city has long had close ties to the peninsula

The city of Vladivostok, the administrative center of the huge (and sparsely populated) Primorsky Krai region, sits in the close vicinity of Russia’s border with Korea and China.

As the crow flies, just 130 km away is the railway bridge which connects Russian and North Korea. Given both the peculiarities of the local geography and the sorry (albeit improved) state of the local roads, the car trip would take about four hours – still a rather short drive by the standards of eastern Russia.

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