North Korea has erected dozens of new guard posts and added extra layers of security in and around Sinuiju, the country’s most populous city along its northwestern border with China, according to recent satellite imagery.

North Korean authorities appear to also be working to carve out a channel to resume large-scale cross-border trade, which hasn’t been allowed since the DPRK enacted severe COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in Jan. 2020. Enhanced satellite imagery shows the repurposing of an airport into an apparent import disinfection center, first reported by NK Pro last month.

Meanwhile, two and a