The passenger train service between North Korea and Russia was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic and has resumed after four years.
According to Radio Free Asia (RFA), on June 7, the Russian Federal Customs announced through Telegram the previous day, “The first train carrying Russian tourists has departed for North Korea via the Khasan checkpoint.” Customs emphasized, “The passenger rail service between North Korea and Russia had been suspended at North Korea’s request due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” and “After four years, Ussuriysk customs officials allowed the first passenger train to North Korea to pass through.”
According to customs, the train carrying 41 Russian tourists left on the morning of June 6. Ussuriysk is a city in the Russian Far East, about 62 miles from Vladivostok, and is a railway stop connecting Russia’s Khasan and North Korea’s Najin.
However, whether this train service will be temporary has not yet been confirmed. Earlier in May, Governor of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako announced in a meeting with the People’s Committee of Nason City delegation that the passenger rail service between Vladivostok and the Nason region would be resumed soon.
Experts predict that if the passenger rail service between North Korea and Russia is resumed, a large number of North Korean workers will be dispatched to Russia.