HUNCHUN – The 520 kilometre-long Tumen river that separates parts of China from North Korea is a true goldfish bowl for voyeuristic travellers trying to catch a glimpse of daily life within the isolated “Hermit Kingdom”.

It is a cliché that has its roots in Western descriptions of the Korean peninsula from the 1800s but, along today’s Sino-North Korean border, certain physical reminders exist that arguably make “Hermit Kingdom” a well-earned moniker.

There are still a handful of busy road, sea, and rail trade routes between China and North Korea. But just 10 kilometres West of the Chinese city of