North Korea has dismantled import quarantine facilities at a converted airport near the Chinese border, according to NK Pro analysis of satellite imagery, signaling a shift in trade policies and possible plan to reopen an important military-civilian airport.

Planet Labs imagery shows almost all structures along the Uiju Airport runway were torn down between Aug. 8 and 24. They were built in 2021 for disinfecting and quarantining imports from China for long periods amid extreme fears of a COVID-19 outbreak.

NK Pro reported earlier this month on the initial demolition of some smaller buildings, after major floods in late July appeared to halt normal operations there.

But it is now apparent that the clearing of the facilities is meant to be total, unlike a partial dismantlement and then rebuilding of a few large structures earlier this year.

Satellite imagery in the coming weeks should reveal whether there is any new construction at Uiju Airport, which could involve rebuilding previously removed revetments for military aircraft or even constructing a new terminal so it can handle flights.

It also remains possible that leader Kim Jong Un has simply decided to dismantle and then rebuild a better quarantine facility, given his multiple visits to the site since last month’s flooding.

The ongoing shutdown of the complex will have an immediate impact on how shipments from China are processed, after it appeared that authorities have been using the airport to inspect imports for “anti-socialist” materials since early this year, instead of quarantining goods to guard against COVID-19.

Imagery shows the main Chinese customs lot in Dandong full of vehicles and North Korean customs across the river in Sinuiju busy as well on some days in August, raising questions over whether the DPRK is still thoroughly inspecting shipments as it did during the pandemic, and if so where.

One option for a replacement processing center seems to be a new large-scale construction project near the airport that started in April, but the site was completely flooded in July and is still waterlogged in many places, the latest imagery shows. 

North Korean state media revealed the importance of the new project to leader Kim Jong Un by showing his visit to the site soon after the July floods, while hiding the true nature of his inspection. The purpose of the project is still unconfirmed.

BORDER CROSSINGS STATUS

Following the start of the pandemic, Sinuiju was the only crossing in the northwest of the DPRK used to deliver cargo by truck and train from China until recently.

Other border crossings in the region were closed, while both China and North Korea built new border fences and enhanced security. The developments likely curtailed smuggling of materials Kim has found threatening to his rule — first as potential carriers of a national crisis-rendering virus and now as vehicles for delivering banned information. 

As of late August, a new Chinese customs complex at the base of a long-abandoned new cross-border bridge west of Sinuiju was still not open, Planet Labs imagery suggests.

But there are some other signs that DPRK authorities are loosening pandemic policies on funneling imports through disinfection centers, as imagery shows cargo trucks starting to use a large Chinese customs complex in Jian and crossing to and from North Korea’s Manpho by April this year.

North Korea opened some border crossings with China in the northeast last year and has separately boosted trade in weapons and other goods with Russia by rail and ship. The bulk of the country’s foreign trade still comes by ship through Nampho on the west coast.

Edited by Bryan Betts