North Korean restaurant in China preparing to reopen?
(Baonghean.vn) - Multiple sources said on June 25 that North Korean restaurants located in Chinese cities near the border with North Korea are preparing to resume business amid rapidly improving relations between the two countries.
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| A performance at a North Korean restaurant in China. Photo: Yonhap |
Following three meetings this year between the leaders of North Korea and China, some North Korean restaurants in China's three northeastern provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang appear to be preparing to reopen after months of closure due to international sanctions.
At the Reungrado Restaurant in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, which was closed by order of Chinese authorities since January 10 this year, interior renovation works have been underway since June 23.
“Reungrado has been closed for the past five months,” a source said. “But the doors were recently reopened and a pile of cement bags, apparently for renovation work, was seen at the entrance. Fridges and other restaurant equipment were also brought inside.”
“Signs of business resumption at Reungrado Restaurant appear to be a result of the fresh atmosphere following successive summit talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping,” the source added.
Meanwhile, according to Yonhap, the Ryukyung Restaurant, North Korea's largest establishment in Dandong, Liaoning Province, resumed business at the end of April, just one month after the first summit between Kim Jong-un and Xi Jinping in March. According to Yonhap, the establishment is currently registered as owned by a Chinese citizen.
In addition, the Chilbosanm Hotel, a joint venture between North Korea and China in Shenyang, which closed on January 9 under orders from Beijing, is now also preparing to reopen after changing its name and ownership.