North Korea challenges China’s border telecoms plans in rare protest

According to the email obtained by reporters, North Korea also complained that China failed to consult it about the plans in advance, a sign that the two countries long known for close economic ties may have a problem in bilateral communication.

The dispute occurred after the Geneva-based International Telecommunication Union made the information about terrestrial networks available to relevant countries in June, including China’s plan to set up 191 facilities for purposes such as FM radio broadcasting.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of relations between North Korea and China, its long-time economic benefactor.

North Korea said that some of the proposed radio stations are “located in the border areas” with the country and it expressed “objection to the registration of those FM stations” in the email dated July 24.

Of the 191, 17 stations including those in Dandong, a border city in northeastern China, could cause “serious interference”, it said.

Beijing “has never made request for advance coordination” and the move would constitute an “infringement” of an ITU guideline as well as a bilateral agreement signed in 1981, Pyongyang said. Details about the bilateral accord are unknown.

“It is a rare occurrence that a confrontation between China and North Korea has been revealed,” said Atsuhito Isozaki, an expert on North Korean politics, adding that possible signals of worsening ties were also seen in reporting patterns by Pyongyang’s official newspaper.