China and North Korea have restored passenger transport links, including rail services running multiple times weekly, as bilateral trade and exchanges increase.
Passenger rail services between Pyongyang and Beijing restarted on March 13, 2026, marking the first time in over six years that such links have operated, following North Korea's border closures at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in January 2020.
According to China Tourism Group, the Pyongyang-Beijing route now runs four times a week, while a separate line from Pyongyang to the Chinese border city of Dandong operates daily, facilitating increased trade and diplomatic coordination between the two allies.
Air Travel Resumptions
Air China plans to resume weekly flights from Beijing Capital International Airport to Pyongyang's Sunan International Airport starting March 30, 2026, as per the airline's booking system.
North Korea's national carrier, Air Koryo, has been operating limited flights since August 2023, including twice-weekly services between Pyongyang and Beijing, as well as between Pyongyang and China's Shenyang.
Former South Korean Unification Ministry spokesperson Jeong Joon Hee stated that working-level exchanges between China and North Korea have recently increased, with bilateral trade rising by approximately 20% year-on-year, suggesting a return to normal exchanges of people and goods.
Travelers on the Beijing-Pyongyang train typically transfer at Dandong and board a North Korean train at Sinuiju, where strict border inspections occur, including phone checks for prohibited materials and luggage searches.
Experts like Jeong Joon Hee and Ahn Chanil from the World Institute for North Korea Studies note that these routes primarily support official exchanges and the transport of strategic commodities, such as crude oil and food, while also aiding North Korea's efforts to revive tourism and meet its five-year development plan with Chinese support.
