The era of Kim Jong Un began just two years ago, and so far not many changes have been observed in North Korea. However, a few things changed clearly and dramatically, and one of these is the situation on the 1,200-kilomter-long border between North Korea and China. It seems that the authorities have managed to significantly decrease cross-border human traffic, while their efforts to curb the flow of information and money have so far been less successful.

A very porous – essentially open – border with China has remained a peculiar feature of the North Korean situation. From the late 1990s and until approximately 2008 or 2009 border–crossing was relatively easy and safe. The soldiers could occasionally shoot a fugitive, and sometimes an attempted crossing could end in drowning, but in most cases the border –crossers – defectors, smugglers and illegal labor migrants – easily reached their destination in China. Sometimes it would be advisable to bribe guards, but usually smugglers needing to move bulky and expensive merchandise did this.