The Yalu river separates North Korea and China, on China's northeast. Peter Hessler, author of two books about China, Oracle Bones and River Town, traveled there and wrote in a 2000 article for the New Yorker, "Ordinary Chinese tourists buzzed the Korean shore simply because it was the closest they'd ever get to a foreign country."
Americans might buzz the Korean shore simply because it's the closest they'd ever get to North Korea. Americans are prohibited from visiting the DPRK except in the most proscribed circumstances. The restrictions don't extend to everyone else, however, and package tours are available.
(Here's a Pyongyang travelogue - sort of, and we've written about North Korea tourism on CS&W before here, here, and here.)
There's a report today suggesting that crossing the Yalu River could be quite a bit easier in the future. In their NightWatch for 7 January, the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, or AFCEA, reports without attribution that "a fairly obscure Japanese publication" claims "China is reportedly trying to build 'military bridges' at five locations in a year under the screen of (a) distribution park construction project” along the Yalu.
It goes on, “When General Secretary Kim Jong Il's health condition remains a potential problem, if, by any chance, a succession race intensifies and develops into a civil war, or if similar emergencies occur, it cannot be denied that there is a possibility of refugees suddenly fleeing [toward China], crossing the Yalu River and the Tuman (Tumen) River. To prepare for such an event, China is said to be considering an ‘operation to get the Chinese military to rush into [the DPRK] at once, crossing the five bridges.’ "
Great Blog… Love your writing. Keep up the good work!
Bruce
Posted by: Bruce Peterson | 09 January 2009 at 03:07 PM