At a cursory glance, the Chinese city of Dandong is quite unremarkable; just one of many medium-sized cities to be found in China. It has its fair share of slums dating to the first half of the last century, not to mention its share of skyscrapers that play host to a Chinese nouveau riche doing their best at imitating their Western middle class counterparts.

For the student of North Korea, however, this place is vital, and is potentially a veritable gold mine. This is, after all, the major channel for goods, money, intelligence and knowledge flowing in and out of North Korea. Dandong, together with the North Korean city of Sinuiju on the opposite bank of the Yalu/Amnok river, serves as North Korea’s major entry port to China and, broader speaking, the entire outside world.