00:00 This is the Rasson Special Economic Zone, once a North Korean experiment in limited
00:06 capitalism that now appears to be the epicentre of the isolated country's growing ties with
00:11 Russia.
00:13 That's according to regional experts who say it includes possible shipments of arms for
00:18 the war in Ukraine.
00:20 Rasson was established in the 1990s on the border with China and Russia.
00:25 It was a dream destination for many North Koreans, with its booming markets selling imported
00:30 goods.
00:31 "There were many electric bikes imported from China that couldn't be seen in other areas,
00:37 and motorbikes and cars.
00:39 Then things like Czech draft beer started to come in as well.
00:43 So Rasson was a paradise until around 2017, when economic sanctions started to bite."
00:50 That's Lee Chan-wo, a North Korea economy expert at Taekyo University in Japan.
00:55 He says border closures during the pandemic also choked off the town of about 200,000
01:01 people.
01:02 But in recent months, ships have been spotted docking at Rasson's port for the first time
01:07 since 2018.
01:08 US and South Korean officials say they include Russian vessels linked to the country's military
01:14 logistics system.
01:16 Reporters from Seoul have told reporters that an estimated 2,000 containers suspected of
01:21 carrying artillery shells have been sent from Rasson's port, though the Kremlin has denied
01:27 such shipments.
01:28 Satellite images also suggest a spike in trade over the past year via the rail line to Russia,
01:34 seen here opening in 2011.
01:37 Chung Song-hak, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for Security Strategy, said
01:42 possible new cargo depots popped up in May.
01:47 This area was where trains weren't identified at all for a while.
01:51 But especially after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited Pyongyang for North
01:55 Korea's July 27 victory day, more train carriages have been spotted.
02:02 Moscow and Pyongyang have been forging tighter ties in the face of what they see as a hostile
02:06 US-led Western camp.
02:09 North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met with Russia's Vladimir Putin in September in eastern Russia,
02:14 Kim's first known overseas trip since 2019.
02:18 China, with its larger economy and deeper history with North Korea, may seem the more
02:23 obvious candidate to drive a recovery in Rasson.
02:26 But experts say the country's deepening cooperation with Russia may make a more immediate impact
02:32 now that the two sides are becoming closer against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine.
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