China's gateway to North Korea waits in vain for border opening

DANDONG, China — Stranded North Korean workers and merchants who rely on cross-border trade see scant signs that the frontier with China will reopen soon, despite recent trips abroad by leader Kim Jong Un and the country's athletes.

The entertainers -- young women sent to work as waitresses before the pandemic -- said they missed home but had not been told when they could return.Two servers told AFP they had come on "internships". Western experts say such workers have virtually no control over their postings, endure miserable living and labour conditions, and have much of their wages confiscated by the North Korean state.Restaurant patrons included at least eight North Korean men, some with red badges bearing their leaders' portraits pinned to their chests.

He said he had pivoted to making clothing for domestic customers after trade and communications with North Korean clients dried up.Traders declined to be identified in order to freely discuss the politically sensitive topic of dealing with North Korea.- Wigs, seafood and ginseng -Doing business with North Korea is fraught, with Pyongyang's trade in everything from coal and oil to seafood and sporting equipment restricted.

Another shopkeeper said he had "channels" for importing the ginseng lining his shelves, "but what those channels are, I won't say".Several Chinese travel agents in Dandong said domestic tourists were finally rebounding after years of virus curbs crippled internal travel.

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