N. Korean workers return home from China by road for 1st time since pandemic

Buses cross a bridge from North Korea's border city of Sinuiju to China's Dandong, Aug. 16. Yonhap

More than 300 North Korean workers returned home Monday from a Chinese border city, multiple sources said, a day after Pyongyang reopened its borders for its citizens abroad for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Around 300 to 400 North Koreans left Dandong in northeastern China earlier in the day for the North's border city of Sinuiju by bus, according to the sources.

It marked the first time for North Koreans to return home by road transportation since the two countries closed their borders in January 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Sunday, North Korea announced it would allow its citizens overseas to return home amid eased concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, marking the reclusive regime's official reopening of its border. (Yonhap)