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A North Korean child gazes out of the window of a child care center in Hangsan, North Pyongan Province, North Korea. photo courtesy of the World Food Programme, AP, Yonhap.
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In border city, North’s citizens barred from opening accounts
Chinese banks in Dandong have been turning away North Koreans looking to open up new accounts since October 19, according to a local source. This move comes after Chinese banks began refusing to process cash transfers to and from North Korea starting last week. In addition, North Koreans have been barred from making deposits, even if they already have an account at a given bank. A North Korean engaging in cross-border trade in Dandong confirmed that Chinese banks, including The Bank of China, have indeed made these moves, which could signal that China is increasing its financial sanctions on Pyongyang in the wake of Pyongyang’s nuclear test on October 9. In China’s border provinces of Liaoning and Jilin, where such traders are concentrated, Chinese banks already stopped providing remittance service to North Koreans since October 12, just one day before the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution calling for sanctions against the country. The restriction is still in place. Also confirmed was the shuttering of a Chinese bank in Dandong that had dealt in the foreign currency between China and North Korea.Meanwhile, some tourism agencies in Beijing have reportedly suspended their tour services to North Korea. China does not designate North Korea as an official tourist destination but some small agencies have been illicitly providing such services.
