Floods Cut Access to Uiju Import Quarantine Center
Heavy flooding around Sinuiju, a critical city along North Korea’s border with China for facilitating trade between the two countries, appears to have submerged railway lines and cut off access to one of the country’s main import quarantine centers. While the full extent of flood damage to the region cannot yet be assessed, this railway blockage is likely to disrupt cross-border trade in the short term.a
Flooding in Sinuiju
The full extent of flooding is difficult to ascertain as cloudy skies have prevented satellite imagery collection in recent weeks, but photographs published by North Korean state media show extensive flooding near the city of Sinuiju, with commercial and residential buildings inundated. Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reports claim 4,100 houses and nearly 3,000 hectares of farmland in Sinuiju and nearby Uiju County are underwater. The damage to the farmland in Sinuiju and Uiju, where agriculture is a key industry, could have a negative impact on this year’s fall harvest.

The floods were caused by “record rainfall” in the area on July 27, on the heels of an already rainy month. State weather data reported over 1.1 meters of rain fell in some regions in the northwest of the country between July 16 and July 29.[1]

This excessive rainfall caused the Yalu River to swell, resulting in flooding on both the North Korean and Chinese sides of the border.
In North Korea, it was especially severe around Sinuiju City, which hosts as the main road and rail crossing for trade with China.
Kim Jong Un arrived in the area on July 28 to survey the damage and inspect rescue efforts, according to state media. On July 29 and 30, he convened an emergency Politburo meeting on his train to guide the work. Kim unleashed harsh criticism of local handling of the emergency and disaster preparedness and dismissed the country’s minister for public security and other officials.
Railway Disruption
A state media photograph shows Kim’s train stationary on a piece of track about four kilometers east of Sinuiju and south of the Uiju goods import quarantine center. This railway line is the sole link to the Uiju import quarantine center and has been completely submerged in front of the train. Whether the tracks have been damaged from the floodwaters is unclear.

Much of North Korea’s trade with China takes place via rail, and still requires processing through the Uiju quarantine facility. This blockage will likely disrupt trade in the short term; longer term disruptions may occur if the tracks have actually been damaged.

North Korea began converting the former Uiju Airfield to a goods quarantine center several months into the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Since 2021, a large amount of cargo has flowed through the center, usually held for several weeks before being released into the country.
Despite North Korea’s gradual reopening after the pandemic, the quarantine center has remained in use. In early 2024, at least two of the warehouses at the site were rebuilt, and a commercial satellite image from June 21 shows plenty of activity around the site. Cargo, covered with blue sheeting, was present across much of the length of the runway. The cargo was not visible, however, in photographs of Kim’s visit. Whether it was moved or washed away in the flooding is unclear.

On the June 21 image, rail cars are present at all four of the rail transfer points in the June 21 image, and trucks are visible alongside them. It is also unclear if they remain on-site, as the rail transfer points were not captured in the photographs of Kim’s visit.

Kim Jong Un Visit
Kim’s visit provided the first on-the-ground images of the center since its conversion to an import quarantine center. They show high fences and razor wire surrounding the warehouses used to store goods imported from China.

The fencing was previously identified in satellite imagery, but the photographs provide greater detail. It is roughly 3 meters high and angled at the top, indicating it is designed to prevent people from entering the facility and cargo storage area rather than simply delineating different areas of the quarantine center.
In one striking image of Kim Jong Un riding in a car that is almost half-submerged in flood waters, razor wire can be seen atop the fence in the background.

The heavy rainfall has clearly caused extensive damage to the Sinuiju area. The import quarantine center is on slightly higher ground, possibly preventing the excessive flooding seen in surrounding areas. However, any damage to local infrastructure will impact its operation in the short term.
It is unclear how or if the authorities will adjust their goods import regime once the flood waters recede and the area begins rebuilding.
- [1]
Korean Central Television weather forecast, July 30, 2024.