A video has surfaced on social media that shows a Chinese civilian drone that captured the footage of Sinuiju, a city on the North Korea-China border.
The video and related photos were posted on a Chinese community on the American social media platform Reddit, claiming to have shot it from Dandong, Liaoning Province, China, in 2020.
The footage displays various cityscapes of Sinuiju, including ships moored along the banks of the Yalu River.
The streets appear deserted. If the footage were from 2020, it would be due to the border closures and internal controls implemented because of COVID-19, resulting in decreased movement of residents.
Most residents can be seen riding bicycles or walking, wearing masks. Some of them are looking up, seemingly intrigued by the drone.
The photos show portraits of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, along with propaganda slogans such as Spirit of Mt. Paektu’s Revolution and Frontal Breakthrough displayed on the streets.
The drone used for the shoot is a Chinese-produced DJI drone with a maximum altitude of 394 feet.
Dandong, the largest trade hub between North Korea and China, is located across the Yalu River and Sinuiju. The width of the Yalu River between Dandong and Sinuiju is only about 1.24 miles, which would have made such drone filming possible. However, it is speculated that the filming was not approved by the North Korean or Chinese authorities.
While it’s unclear who took the footage and whether it’s authentic, it’s believed that such incidents occur frequently in border areas. In addition to this particular video, many other videos on YouTube show Sinuiju’s airspace, which was reportedly shot in China.
