North Korea and China have resumed freight train services after a five-month suspension due to the pandemic, South Korean media has reported, Trend reports citing Reuters.
A freight train travelled from the Chinese border city of Dandong to North Korea’s Sinuiju, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported on Monday.
Trains had been suspended since April 29, after an outbreak of COVID-19 in Dandong.
It was not immediately clear if the train that crossed the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge on Monday marked the resumption of regular services, but Yonhap news agency quoted an anonymous source in China as saying trains would run one or two times a day.
China is North Korea’s main economic lifeline, normally accounting for more than 90 percent of its trade, but cross-border commerce has been sharply curtailed during the pandemic.
China’s trade with North Korea, officially known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), plunged to $318m in 2021, down 90 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to Chinese customs data.