“N. KOREA HALTS REED TRANSPORTATION”

[Anchor Lead]

In the estuary of the Amnokgang River near the North Korea-China border lies Bidan Island, North Korea's largest reed production area. Chairman Kim Jong-un visited this island at the western end of the Korean Peninsula in 2018 and encouraged the development of a chemical fiber raw material base. However, it has been reported that the reeds were burned after the cargo ship carrying them recently stopped its operation.

[Pkg]

Hwangkumpyong surrounded by a double layer of barbed wire is where the border between North Korea and China runs. Once you pass it, Bidan Island comes into view. A lush reed field appears across the Amnokgang River tributary with a layer of sediments exposed by the ebb tide. This is North Korea's largest man-made island situated on the westernmost tip of the Peninsula. Bidan Island is the largest reed producer in the North located in the Amnokgang River estuary. Reeds are transported from the island along the river by boat to the city of Sinuiju about 30 km away. One tugboat pulls two non-powered cargo boats. The reeds are used as raw material for producing paper and textiles at a factory in Sinuiju. Back on March 26 a boat transporting reeds sank in waters off Langtou in Dandong, China.

[Soundbite] (Dandong resident) : "The reeds were loaded right here. They went around and loaded them near that steel structure over there."

Since the accident, North Korean boats carrying reeds have never been seen again. Witnesses say reeds were burned en masse on Bidan Island lately. They were apparently incinerated because of storage problems caused by difficulties in transportation.

[Soundbite] (Dandong resident) : "All the reeds were burned a few days ago. They don't need so many reeds. The ashes flew all the way to China."

With the operation of reed transporting boats suspended on Bidan Island, the production of paper and textiles in Sinuiju will likely hit serious snags.