Relations between China and North Korea, which is largely isolated internationally, continue to improve: after a six-year break, a direct train connection between the capitals Beijing and Pyongyang is being resumed.
March 11, 2026, 05:29March 11, 2026, 05:29
As the Chinese state railway announced, the first passenger train will set off on the almost 24-hour journey this Thursday. The connection had been interrupted since 2020 because North Korea closed its borders due to the corona pandemic.
North Korea and China are getting closer again.Image: keystone
The connection promotes economic cooperation and cultural exchange between the people of both countries, the state railway said. The trains are scheduled to run four times a week in both directions. According to the state railway, there will also be two wagons for foreign travelers.
Before the corona pandemic, Chinese were the largest group of tourists in isolated North Korea. In addition, China, under the leadership of the Communist Party, is a very important economic partner of the country. North Korea is subject to far-reaching UN sanctions because of its nuclear weapons program and serious human rights violations.
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un traveled to Beijing last September in one of his rare foreign visits to the military parade of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. (sda/dpa)