{"id":79115,"date":"2026-07-08T16:27:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T16:27:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/79115\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T16:27:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T16:27:38","slug":"north-korea-smugglers-learn-chinese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/79115\/","title":{"rendered":"North Korea smugglers learn Chinese"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Apartment<\/a>A view of apartment buildings in Hyesan, the capital of Ryanggang province, North Korea, photographed in August 2018. Photo: Daily NK<\/p>\n

North Korean smugglers in their 30s and 40s are rushing to learn Chinese in 2026. The trend is driven by a string of financial losses from communication breakdowns with their Chinese trading partners, according to a source in Ryanggang province.<\/p>\n

A growing number of smugglers in their 30s and 40s in Hyesan are now paying to study Chinese, the source told Daily NK on Tuesday. The trend has spread quickly in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cChinese trading partners who deal with our side usually understand some Korean,\u201d the source said. \u201cBut when problems come up during a deal, like pricing errors, quantity mistakes or defective goods, they act like they can\u2019t understand a word. People are losing money because of this language problem, so more of them are trying to learn Chinese.\u201d<\/p>\n

One case illustrates the pattern. A smuggler in Hyesan imported flashlight batteries from China in late June. The shipment included more defective batteries than usual. The price sheet also listed a higher unit price than what had been agreed. The smuggler called the Chinese trading partner to dispute it.<\/p>\n

The trading partner responded normally at first. Then, according to the source, the partner suddenly said, \u201cI can\u2019t understand anything you\u2019re saying,\u201d and hung up.<\/p>\n

The smuggler kept calling back. The two sides eventually agreed to return the defective batteries. But the pricing dispute was never resolved, and the deal was left unsettled. The source said smugglers also face pressure to keep calls short, since using a Chinese phone for too long raises the risk of being caught by North Korean authorities.<\/p>\n

Smugglers who export goods to China face similar communication problems, the source said. Herbal medicine shipments are a common flashpoint. Chinese buyers sometimes claim the shipment is underweight or low quality, then cut the price by tens of yuan per kilogram.<\/p>\n

\u201cSmugglers end up absorbing the loss,\u201d the source said. \u201cThey argue with their Chinese partners over the phone, but the partners often pretend not to understand and hang up. The partners know we can\u2019t talk for long, and they\u2019re taking advantage of that more and more. It\u2019s become a real source of stress.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learning Chinese seen as essential for border trade<\/p>\n

That frustration has convinced many smugglers that learning Chinese<\/a> is the only way to stop being brushed off, according to the source. Only a handful of people studied the language at first. Now nearly everyone is doing it, and it has become a broader trend.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a strong belief that without Chinese, you can\u2019t argue your case properly when something goes wrong, and you just end up losing money,\u201d the source said. \u201cIt shows how frustrated people are that even those well past school age are spending money to learn Chinese.\u201d<\/p>\n

The trend also lines up with a recent increase in Chinese investors <\/a>entering the border region, according to the source. As economic cooperation<\/a> between North Korea and China expands, demand for Chinese language skills is higher than ever.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople who make a living trading with China are prioritizing Chinese over every other subject,\u201d the source said. \u201cThey\u2019re even paying for private tutors for their children. They believe their kids will need Chinese to land jobs as secretaries or drivers for Chinese investors down the road.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chinese language ability<\/a> is increasingly viewed as essential for making a living in the border region, the source said. \u201cWell off families are already saying they plan to have their children and grandchildren learn Chinese from a young age.\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 through secure channels. Unlike reporting based on state media, satellite imagery, or defector 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 on developments other outlets cannot access: market 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 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":"A view of apartment buildings in Hyesan, the capital of Ryanggang province, North Korea, photographed in August 2018.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":79116,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7043,134,10588,31,34,5059,7040],"class_list":["post-79115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-north-korea","tag-border","tag-china","tag-hyesan","tag-korea","tag-north-korea","tag-ryanggang-province","tag-smuggling"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79115","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=79115"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79115\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79116"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79115"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79115"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79115"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}