N. Korea’s Kim orders freight station construction near China border

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered the construction of a freight station near the Chinese border to support a large-scale greenhouse farm project in the north-west, state-run media reported on Aug 2.

Coming at a time when

North Korea has been bolstering military and economic ties with Russia

, particularly since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, observers are watching whether the move could lead to an uptick in trade with its traditional ally China, which has recently been sluggish.

Mr Kim visited the region around Sinuiju on Aug 1, where severe flooding occurred in July 2024 after the Yalu River, which runs along the border with China, overflowed, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

While inspecting embankment and farm construction, Mr Kim called for the creation of a “comprehensive transport centre” with a new vegetable storehouse and processing facilities built around it, the official news agency said.

The area around the Yalu River has long been prone to flooding during heavy rain, with widespread damage reported in 2024. But with residential buildings reportedly swiftly rebuilt, Mr Kim was quoted as saying that such flood damage, once seen as inevitable, has “became a past story”.

Beijing is viewed as Pyongyang’s closest and most influential ally in economic terms. KYODO NEWS