Pyongyang/Beijing tighten visa requirements

from the Hankyoreh:

Pyongyang, Beijing halt visa waivers
Move a sign of chilled relations between the two
 
North Korea and China have reportedly reached agreement that visas must be obtained prior to arrival in the other country, except for visits for ’official affairs.’ Previously, travel between the two countries had been largely free of visa requirements.

A Chinese source familiar with North Korean affairs said that the dispute over visa regulations – which has caused a controversy between the two allies since the beginning of this year – was partly resolved when Pyongyang and Beijing agreed that North Korean laborers working in China will first have to get a permit of employment from China’s Ministry of Labor and Social Security. They so far have enjoyed ’no visa required’ status.

Under Beijing’s revised regulations on visa and employment, almost 50 North Korean restaurants located in Chinese major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang, Guangzhou, Qingdao, Yanji, and Dalian are expected to be hit more severely. Workers of these restaurants will be allowed to stay in China after obtaining a permit from the Chinese Labor Ministry.

In order to lower the unemployment rate, Chinese authorities are requesting foreign companies hire locals in positions except for technical posts. As a result, a large number of North Korean restaurants will have to close, or replace their employees with Chinese citizens. According to the source, four North Korea restaurants moved out of China last month.

Pyongyang has up to now issued three kinds of passports: those for public affairs, those for general affairs, and those for official business trips. North Koreans working at restaurants in China could enter China without visas, using passports for official business trips. However, from this year, China has required those passport holders to obtain visas in Pyongyang, as well.

Some sources note that the new visa measure indicates that the relationship between the two allies is changing from that of a closely linked socialist bond to that of ’ordinary’ nations.

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