The government says it understands passenger train service between North Korea and China is expected to resume on March 12. If confirmed, this would be the first time the two countries have run passenger trains in roughly six years since the COVID‑19 pandemic.
On March 10, the Ministry of Unification said it has determined that the international train running between Pyongyang and Beijing will begin operating on March 12, and that it will continue to closely monitor related developments.
The Foreign Ministry said the government is monitoring developments on the Korean Peninsula, including North Korea–China relations, and hopes that exchanges between the two countries will contribute to easing tensions and advancing peace on the peninsula.
Earlier, Kyodo News, citing Chinese sources, reported that passenger train service between North Korea and China is scheduled to resume on March 12. Observers expect both the long‑distance Pyongyang–Beijing service and the Dandong–Pyongyang route to restart.
If passenger services resume, it would mark about six years since they were halted after North Korea closed its borders during the COVID‑19 outbreak. Freight trains have operated on a limited basis during that period, but passenger service has remained suspended.
