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22 March 2009

Shotlist Ref: RTV505409

RTV

CHINA: Calm along China-North Korea border as diplomats work to resolve North Korea’s detention of journalists

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Duration: 00:03:44:08

Clip Ref: RTV505409 125

Copyright: REUTERS

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After a brief morning snowstorm, calmness returned to a frozen Tumen river, marking the border with North Korea in China's northeastern Jilin province.
There are several official border crossings along the Tumen river which facilitate the travel of restricted personnel, vehicles and trains between the two communist neighbours.
Many of these crossings are bridges that also serve as tourist attractions for curious travellers who want to peek into one of the world's most isolated countries.
But as the winter chills the tourism industry here, the heat is on North Korea to free two American journalists who were detained while filming along the border.
North Korea said on Saturday (March 21) it had detained two Americans for "illegally" entering the country by crossing the border with China.
"Two Americans were detained on March 17 while illegally intruding into the territory of the DPRK (North Korea) by crossing the DPRK-China border. A competent organ is now investigating the case," the North's official news agency KCNA said without giving more details.
A U.S. state department official said the pair were filming across the Tumen River when guards took them into custody, adding the United States was in touch with the North seeking their release.
Media reports said the two were working for Current TV, a U.S.-based online news company, about a story on North Korean refugees who had fled the country along its borders with China.
Residents interviewed at the border said they did not know about the incident, but some added the porous border was indeed a place where North Koreans looked to try to escape from the harsh conditions in their country.
"There were people smuggling across the border in the last two to three years. There were many of them coming over here from North Korea. They did not have enough to feed themselves there and they were going hungry, so there were many who tried to flee into our country. There is nobody from here who went over there," said 63-year-old Li Guangfu (pron: lee-gooang-foo), who lives in Kaisantun (pron: kai-sand-toon) town, just 50 metres away from North Korean territory across the Tumen River.
A South Korean government agency said in January this year that tighter border controls have slashed the growth rate of North Korean defectors arriving in the South by more than half last year, even though the number of defectors rose to a new record.
Almost all North Korean defectors leave the impoverished state across its border with China and then seek asylum in a third country.
When told of the incident regarding the detained American journalists, residents expressed surprise about how that might have happened.
"Nowadays, no one dares to go over there and they do not dare to come over here. We have our customs over there and there are border guards over there. Look at them over there, those North Korean guards… just a few days ago, they had troops to cut down trees here. I am not sure what they are doing," said 50-year-old Sun Liqin (pron: sun-lee-chin), also living in Kaisantun town, South Korea's YTN channel earlier quoted a South Korean government official as saying North Korean guards crossed the border into Chinese territory to arrest the two women on Tuesday after they ignored warnings to stop filming.
But the diplomatic source said it was not clear which side of the border they were on at the time.
YTN also said a man was with the pair from the same news organisation but managed to escape.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Beijing was investigating the report and declined to comment further. South Korea's foreign ministry also declined to confirm YTN's report.
Despite the incident, residents here said the area is still calm and there has been nothing to suggest increased tensions along the border.
"I feel like I am in between two countries. But the borders guards between our two countries get along very well, so we don't have a lot of problems with each other," Li added.
The North's border with China is 1,416-km (880-mile) long and there are many places where people can cross with relative ease.
The arrests of the two journalists come at a time of mounting tension on the Korean peninsula, with the North declaring that it is set to fire a satellite in early April, which many countries see as a cover for a long-range ballistic missile test.

Clip 1 of 2

Clip Ref: RTV505409 125

TimeCode Info:

In: 12:22:51:06

Out: 12:25:49:11

Copyright: REUTERS

Duration: 00:02:58

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TUMEN, JILIN PROVINCE, CHINA (MARCH 21, 2009) (REUTERS)
FROZEN TUMEN RIVER SEPARATING CHINA (LEFT OF SCREEN) AND NORTH KOREA (RIGHT)
BORDER RAIL BRIDGE WITH CHINESE BORDER POST IN BACKGROUND
SIGN READING IN MANDARIN - "NATIONAL BORDER - TUMEN RIVER"
VIEW OF NORTH KOREAN BORDER POST FROM TUMEN
MAN STANDING TO HAVE PHOTO TAKEN NEXT TO BORDER AREA
BORDER TOURIST DECORATION FEATURING FLAGS OF NORTH KOREA AND CHINA
VAN DRIVING FROM NORTH KOREA SIDE ALONG BORDER BRIDGE
VAN DRIVING INTO CHINESE SIDE OF BRIDGE DEMARCATED IN RED
WOMAN SHOVELING SNOW NEXT TO HER BINOCULARS RENTAL AREA
BINOCULARS ON STANDS
VIEW OF NORTH KOREAN TOWN OF NAMYONG FROM TUMEN
NORTH KOREAN FARMER WORKING ON FARMLAND

KAISHANTUN TOWN, JILIN PROVINCE, CHINA (MARCH 21, 2009) (REUTERS)
BORDER BRIDGE
PARTLY FROZEN TUMEN RIVER BELOW BORDER BRIDGE
BUILDING WITH NORTH KOREAN FLAG
NORTH KOREAN END OF BORDER BRIDGE
(SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 63-YEAR-OLD LOCAL RESIDENT, LI GUANGFU, SAYING:
"There were people smuggling across the border in the last two to three years. There were many of them coming over here from North Korea. They did not have enough to feed themselves there and they were going hungry, so there were many who tried to flee into our country. There is nobody from here who went over there."
NORTH KOREAN FARMER OUTSIDE HOUSE
NORTH KOREAN BORDER GUARDS ON PATROL
(SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 50-YEAR-OLD LOCAL RESIDENT, SUN LIQIN, SAYING:
"Nowadays, no one dares to go over there and they do not dare to come over here. We have our customs over there and there are border guards over there. Look at them over there, those North Korean guards… just a few days ago, they had troops to cut down trees here. I am not sure what they are doing."
NORTH KOREAN HOUSES
NORTH KOREAN FARMERS WORKING
NORTH KOREAN MAN CYCLING PAST
(SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 63-YEAR-OLD LOCAL RESIDENT, LI GUANGFU, SAYING: "I feel like I am in between two countries. But the borders guards between our two countries get along very well, so we don't have a lot of problems with each other."

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Clip Ref: RTV505409 4581

TimeCode Info:

In: 12:25:49:12

Out: 12:26:30:14

Copyright: REUTERS

Duration: 00:00:41

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TUMEN, JILIN PROVINCE, CHINA (MARCH 21, 2009) (REUTERS)
FROZEN TUMEN RIVER
PART OF FROZEN RIVER MELTING AWAY
NORTH KOREAN TRAIN STATION WITH PORTRAIT OF NORTH KOREAN FOUNDER KIM IL-SUNG
TRAINS ON TRACK
NORTH KOREAN MAN WALKING PAST TRAIN
BUILDINGS IN NORTH KOREA
BORDER FENCE SET UP ON CHINESE SIDE OF TUMEN RIVER

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