The world's largest prison: North Korea took advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to build a system of walls and border fences designed to prevent citizens from defecting and stop black market trading, which has become widespread in the closed country.
According to an investigation by Reuters, North Korea has built or upgraded hundreds of kilometers along its northern border with China and Russia and established new military positions and bases to guard the new fortifications.
South Korea and US hold major military exercise // Reuters
The news agency's investigation included extensive use of satellite imagery and testimonies of North Korean defectors who managed to reach South Korea or the West. "The traditionally familiar route out of North Korea is now a thing of the past, unless there is significant change," said Kim, a South Korean priest who helps defectors from the country.
Only 67 people managed to defect from North Korean territory in 2022, up from 1,047 in 2019. Experts believe that China's stricter adherence to the procedure for returning defectors also contributed to the decline in the number of people leaving North Korea.
North Korea itself has not officially acknowledged the major construction operation, but officials have referred during the COVID-19 pandemic to an attempt to prevent "other harmful elements" from entering the country, apparently referring to foreign products and ideas.
In addition to the influx of defectors, the border area is used by North Korea's extensive smuggling industry, which in turn feeds the country's largest black market. State-owned factories and businesses fail to supply the variety of consumer goods required by the North Korean population, and the black market is used by many residents who are interested in various food products, clothing, cell phones and television players.
Damage to the black market is liable to exacerbate shortages and hunger among the population that is not close to the government and relies heavily on the black market and its products. Last year, North Korean authorities said the country was on the verge of starvation, and a series of natural disasters and crop damage exacerbated food shortages.
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