Left Flank

How many bridges across the Yalu River are too many? There's already the "Friendship" and the "Broken" bridges, and now Dandong is considering another construction project.

The plan to build the bridge and stimulate trade between the two countries shows China's determination to import resources from North Korea.

Municipal authorities in Dandong, Liaoning Province, announced January an activities report that it will "accelerate the plan to construct a large bridge across the Yalu River."

The Dandong authorities plan to connect with North Korea a 97-square-kilometer industrial park that is being built in the city.

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However, a source close to the Dandong authorities said: "The construction of the bridge depends on the future relationship between China and North Korea."

So, what comes first, the bridge, or the friendship? Based on its reputation as the "wild Northeast", the region might be asking for more trouble than it's worth.

Deals are being done in Dandong—which is home to several dog meat restaurants—because the city is one of the few places where South and North Koreans can have direct contact.

Eager to earn hard currency, North Korea has dispatched several thousand workers to Dandong, but they lack the training to engage in business transactions, resulting in discontent and distrust among some of the city's 2,800 South Korean residents.

One South Korean businessman, surnamed Park, said he has had extensive dealings with North Koreans in Dandong.

«One should never hand over an advance payment to North Koreans,» Park said.

«Based on my experience with North Koreans, there is a 90 percent probability that the job will not get done, if advance payment is made,» he said.

A fellow entrepreneur from the South, surnamed Kim, agreed.

«Of 10 North Koreans you meet in Dandong, nine will tell you that they are well connected in North Korea, that they know somebody powerful or a person somehow related to Kim Jong-Il,» Kim said, adding that these claims were mostly scams.

Mmmm...dog meat and scams! Golden dreams are made of these!