{"id":12352,"date":"2026-05-11T09:37:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T09:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/12352\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T09:37:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T09:37:07","slug":"north-korea-ramps-up-chinese-cement-imports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/12352\/","title":{"rendered":"North Korea ramps up Chinese cement imports"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Kim<\/a>Kim Jong Un visits the Sangwon Cement Complex in North Hwanghae province on March 1, 2026, to urge increased production in line with resolutions from the Ninth Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea. Photo: Rodong Sinmun\/News1<\/p>\n

North Korea has significantly increased imports<\/a> of Chinese<\/a> cement since May 2026, as a sweeping regional construction<\/a> campaign<\/a> strains domestic production beyond its limits, Daily NK has learned.<\/p>\n

A source in Jagang<\/a> province told Daily NK on Monday that cement shipments moving through border<\/a> crossings along the Yalu River<\/a> have risen noticeably since early April. \u201cThere are so many construction projects<\/a> right now that domestic cement output simply cannot keep up with demand,\u201d the source said.<\/p>\n

According to the source, the crossings in question connect Chinese border towns to key entry points on the North Korean side: the Changdian Hekou crossing links to the area near Supung Dam in Sakju county, North Pyongan province; the Ji\u2019an crossing serves the Manpo and Jasung areas of Jagang province<\/a>; and the Linjiang crossing connects to the Junggang area, also in Jagang province. Inflows of Chinese-made construction materials<\/a> through all three have risen sharply in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

Rising demand drives a turn to Chinese supplies<\/p>\n

The surge in imports tracks directly to the so-called \u201c20\u00d710 Regional Development<\/a> Policy,\u201d a signature Kim Jong Un<\/a> initiative launched at the Ninth Congress<\/a> of the Workers\u2019 Party<\/a> of Korea (WPK), North Korea\u2019s ruling party, in 2024, that calls for constructing new factories<\/a>, hospitals<\/a>, service centers, and apartment buildings<\/a> in 20 counties per year for 10 consecutive years. As construction activity has spread across the country, internal demand for cement has soared.<\/p>\n

Sources say the mountainous terrain of Jagang province compounds the problem. Transporting cement from the Sunchon Cement Complex in South Pyongan province or the Sangwon Cement Complex in North Hwanghae province involves substantial freight costs that make domestically produced cement difficult to secure reliably. \u201cDomestically produced cement is already in short supply, and the price<\/a> keeps climbing with each leg of the journey,\u201d the source said. \u201cFor areas close to the border, importing Chinese cement has become the more practical option.\u201d<\/p>\n

Quality concerns are also driving<\/a> the shift. North Korean cement factories, under pressure<\/a> to meet state-mandated output targets, have reportedly been rushing production in ways that compromise quality. Chinese cement, by contrast, has earned a reputation on building sites for superior strength and workability. \u201cDomestic cement often lacks strength, and there are significant losses during transport due to packaging and storage problems,\u201d the source said. \u201cChinese cement costs a little more, but the quality and packaging are far better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chinese cement currently trades at around 380 Chinese yuan<\/a> (approximately $52) per metric ton, making it<\/a> more expensive than the North Korean alternative. Even so, builders appear willing to pay<\/a> the premium. \u201cRight now, finishing construction quickly matters more than cutting costs,\u201d the source said. \u201cThe preference for Chinese materials is especially pronounced on projects being showcased as political achievements.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond cement, the source said border crossings have also seen increased inflows of steel and excavation equipment in recent weeks. \u201cLocal construction projects keep expanding, but domestic materials have their limits,\u201d the source said. \u201cSince demand exists, imports of construction materials and equipment will likely keep rising for the foreseeable future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read in Korean<\/a><\/p>\n

Reporting from inside North Korea<\/p>\n

\n Daily NK operates networks of sources inside North Korea who document events in real-time and transmit information<\/a> through secure channels. Unlike reporting based on state media<\/a>, satellite<\/a> imagery, or defector<\/a> accounts from years past, our journalism comes directly from people currently living under the regime. We verify reports through multiple independent sources and cross-reference details before publication.\n <\/p>\n

\n Our sources remain anonymous because contact with foreign media is treated as a capital offense in North Korea \u2014 discovery means imprisonment or execution. This network-based approach allows Daily NK to report<\/a> on developments other outlets cannot access: market<\/a> trends, policy implementation, public sentiment, and daily realities that never appear in official narratives.\n <\/p>\n

\n Maintaining these secure communication channels and protecting source identities requires specialized protocols and constant vigilance. Daily NK serves as a bridge<\/a> between North Koreans and the outside world, documenting what\u2019s happening inside one of the world\u2019s most closed societies.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Kim Jong Un visits the Sangwon Cement Complex in North Hwanghae province on March 1, 2026, to urge…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12353,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[134,2448,2596,9258,31,9260,2594,9259],"class_list":{"0":"post-12352","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-korea","8":"tag-china","9":"tag-construction","10":"tag-imports","11":"tag-jagang-province","12":"tag-korea","13":"tag-regional-development","14":"tag-trade","15":"tag-yalu-river"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12352"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12352\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}