North Korea and China have appeared to expand trade at the Hyesan-Changbai border crossing in the remote northeast, according to NK Pro analysis of satellite imagery showing a DPRK factory has been torn down and replaced with a new cargo truck processing lot. 

Planet Labs imagery reveals that the Hyesan Textile Factory was demolished from June to Aug. 2024, before it was turned into a makeshift dirt parking lot that started filling up with trucks from China in April 2025. 

The factory is located around 1.3 miles (2.1 km) down the road from the border crossing bridge, but imagery shows the trucks, after entering into North Korea, stopped appearing at an open lot adjacent to the bridge and began to appear at the factory around the same time.

It’s likely that the location was chosen since there is no unused flat land in the area, making an old factory in disrepair a top candidate for clearing. The location can also make use of a railyard attached to the factory site to move imported items around the country more easily.

The rail line links Hyesan to east coast DPRK ports in Chongjin, Kim Chaek and Tanchon, but while Chinese officials have expressed hopes in the past about using these ports to transship Chinese goods, imagery shows that none have seen a corresponding increase in cargo ship activities in recent years. 

The Hyesan-Changbai road bridge was closed in Jan. 2020 along with all other crossings under a strict pandemic lockdown. It didn’t appear to open to regular traffic again until around April 2024, according to NK Pro analysis of Planet Labs imagery.

Since then, photos of trucks crossing the border have appeared frequently on Chinese social media sites. Some photos even show goods like roof tiles heading into North Korea, despite DPRK state propaganda insisting such materials are fully domestically sourced.

Satellite imagery also shows that Chinese customs and cargo truck processing facilities were rebuilt in 2023 ahead of the border crossing reopening. 

An adjacent lot, which ground photos from 2020 show belonged to a cold chain logistics park project, was turned into a dirt parking area for trucks in April 2024, around when regular trade resumed.

The factory-turned-processing lot on the North Korean side is likely to be either temporary or later built out into a more permanent facility. There is limited space in the direct vicinity of the border bridge and DPRK customs building, meaning existing buildings will need to be torn down if a larger processing facility is to be built there.

Following the increase in trade at the Hyesan-Changbai bridge, Chinese ambassador to North Korea Wang Yajun visited in June this year, calling for expanding cross-border cooperation.

Changbai is also home to China’s largest and arguably most intrusive North Korea observation attractions, including a glass floor platform and swing ride allowing Chinese tourists to watch North Koreans going about their daily life from almost directly above them.

North Korea conducts the majority of its trade with China by sea centered on Nampho Port on the west coast. An old rail and road bridge at the Sinuiju-Dandong crossing facilitates the majority of bilateral overland trade, and both sides are currently working to finally open a long-abandoned new road bridge nearby. 

Smaller volumes flow through the Quanhe, Musan-Nanping and other crossings at the east end of their shared borders, while China has prepared for increased trade at the Namyang-Tumen and Manpho-Ji’an crossings, though these routes have yet to see significant activity.

North Korea and Russia are also currently building a new road bridge to supplement an existing rail bridge that facilitates part of the two countries’ bilateral trade, while Russian cargo ships continue to conduct weapons shipments at the DPRK’s Rason Port in the northeast.

Edited by Alannah Hill