Photo: TIM FENG Xichen (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_QingNian_street_of_Shenyang.jpg), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode
I last visited the border between China and North Korea in 2015, when COVID-19 lay in the unknown future. Little did I know then that it would be 10 years before I saw this region again. In 2025, I was finally given the opportunity to travel - this time to Shenyang and Dandong - together with several priests from the Bishops’ Committee for National Reconciliation.
We arrived in Shenyang after a two-hour morning flight from Incheon International Airport. This visit came at a significant time, as North Korea had recently reopened its airspace after years of closure due to the pandemic. Koryo Airlines had begun repatriating North Korean citizens stranded in Beijing and Shenyang - people who had been unable to return home for several years.
Shenyang is a city whose name is represented in Korean by the Chinese characters: 宣揚. Located in the heart of China’s Dongbei region, it is known for heavy military industries and holds strategic importance as a gateway connecting northeastern China to the Korean Peninsula. Many ethnic Chinese-North Koreans from Pyongan and Kyongsang provinces live in Shenyang and surrounding cities. Moreover, North Koreans working in factories and restaurants across China were unable to return home when the borders were sealed during COVID-19.
The West Pagoda district is filled with shops and restaurants, including some run by North Koreans. However, the North Korean-owned restaurants do not accept customers from South Korea. I am unsure whether the situation is the same in Southeast Asia. I have seen videos of people visiting North Korean restaurants there, but it is difficult to know whether these were recorded recently or before the pandemic.
Shenyang also carries deep historical and spiritual significance. During the Boxer Rebellion at the end of the Qing Dynasty (1899–1901), more than 150 Catholic believers - including monks, priests and a bishop - were reportedly killed in front of Shenyang Cathedral. The first two bishops of the diocese are buried beneath the cathedral’s central aisle. Sadly, most historical records were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, leaving only faint traces of these martyrs. A statue of the Virgin Mary dressed in Qing Dynasty style remains a powerful symbol of faith embedded within Chinese culture.
The city is also connected to Korean history. Shenyang houses the portrait of Crown Prince Sohyeon of the Joseon Dynasty. After King Injo surrendered to the Qing Emperor in 1637, Prince Sohyeon and his wife were taken to Shenyang as hostages. During his eight-year detention, Prince Sohyeon encountered Western learning through Adam Schall, a Catholic missionary he met in Beijing. He sought to care for fellow Korean captives by cultivating land, storing grain and trading - quiet acts of resilience and hope amid hardship.
Following lunch in West Pagoda, we travelled on to Dandong, a journey of about five hours. Dandong is a border city in Liaoning Province, separated from Sinuiju in North Pyongan Province by the Yalu River. It is frequently visited by South Korean researchers and journalists who specialise in North Korean affairs. By observing the movement of trucks and trains into North Korea, they attempt to gauge economic activity and conditions across the border. As in Shenyang, many businesses in Dandong are operated by both mainland and overseas Chinese. During our visit, I was able to enter a café-style gallery selling paintings by North Korean artists.
From the apartment used by priests stationed in Beijing and Dandong, we could clearly see Sinuiju across the Yalu River. Looking out towards Wihwa Island, we celebrated Mass for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Standing there, gazing across the river, I felt a deep sadness. “North Korea is right in front of me,” I thought. While books and reports are important, nothing compares to seeing the real thing with one’s own eyes.
North Korea has announced several special economic zones, including Rason, Kaesong, Wonsan–Mt Geumgang, Sinuiju, the Golden Pyeong and the Wihwa Island zone. These are all visible from Dandong. Because Dandong is a military area, movement is tightly controlled under China’s anti-espionage laws. Visitors are only permitted to stop at designated tourist sites and photography is heavily restricted.
With the resumption of high-level exchanges between China and North Korea, attention has turned to the reopening of the Yalu Bridge, which connects Dandong and North Korea. Completed just before the pandemic, the bridge remained unused for years after the borders were shut. Both countries suffered significant economic losses during the pandemic and the customs facilities on the Chinese side fell into disrepair. During my visit, I could see repair work underway and vehicles on the bridge - signs that it may reopen soon.
Nearby stands the Broken Bridge, destroyed by US bombing during the Korean War. While its Chinese side remains intact as a memorial, the North Korean side has been dismantled. Beside it is the Friendship Bridge, still used for rail and freight transport.
We also took a boat ride along the Chinese side of the Yalu River, allowing us to look directly into North Korea. Though North and South Korea share the same peninsula, the division remains painfully real. There is even a one-hour time difference between the two sides of the river.
As I reflected on this journey, I was reminded how urgently peace is needed. The people of the Korean Peninsula continue to live with tension, separation and uncertainty. Our prayers are not optional - they are essential.
“May the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, for it is for this that you were called together as parts of one body.” (Colossians 3:15) May the Lord grant reconciliation and unity to the Korean people. May old wounds be healed, hearts softened and hope renewed.
Queen of Peace, pray for us. Martyrs and Saints of Korea, pray for us.
Columban Fr Nam Seung-Won lives and works in Korea.
Listen to "A look across the border at North Korea"
Related links
- Read more from The Far East - March/April 2026
