China turns to citizen militias to patrol border with North Korea

A 310-mile stretch of land between China and North Korea will now be partially manned by Chinese citizen militias.

Reported killings in Jilin province prompted the Chinese government to establish the militias.

The China Defense News said “The situation is more complicated and relying on just one party would make it difficult to achieve effective control,” Reuters reported Friday. The newspaper added that the government “guided the establishment of militia patrols.”

North Korea expert Zhang Liangui told Reuters that problems along the border between the two countries can be traced back to neglect by Kim Jong-un’s regime.

“The fact that North Koreans are running over the border to China shows that North Korea’s regulation of the border is seriously problematic,” Mr. Zhang said, Retuers reported.