Cross-border bulk trade increases between Russia and North Korea

In 2014, cross-border trade between Russia and North Korea, carried by Russian railways via the Khasan for the interchange increased 3.2 times. Coal traffic went up by 24 times in the same period. This trend has continued well into 2015.

In total, in 2014, 280,000 tonnes moved from Russia to North Korea, of which 238,200 tonnes was coal. Significantly, in the first quarter of this year, 408,000 tonnes of coal were shipped to the port of Rajin by Russian railways, which expects to haul 1.5mt (million tonnes) to the port during the course of the present year.

The reinstatement of the line between Khasan and Rajin is a precursor to the reconstruction of the trans-Korean railway, which is planned to link the two Koreas. Since 2014, four trial runs have taken place between the port of Rajin and South Korea. Potentially, the link could handle around 5mt a year.