evidence: The area around Hyesan city (Hyesan-si), the capital of Ryanggang province, has traditionally been a point through which many North Koreans cross or escape into China across the Yalu River. It is the second largest informal trade hub after Sinuiju city, North Pyongan province.69 Hyesan city is connected to Changbai county, Changbai Korean Autonomous County, through the Hyesan-Changbai border crossing. [...] The area around Taehongdan county (Taehongdan-gun) in the northeastern corner of Ryanggang province, is connected to a sparsely inhabited and rural area in Jilin province, China, across the Tumen River through the Samjang border crossing. Taehongdan county is located close to the Mount Paektu and Samjiyon tourist regions of North Korea. It is remote and mountainous, focused on logging and potato farming. The Tumen River has many parts around the area that are narrow, shallow, and easily navigable by North Koreans into China throughout the year. Until the Covid-19 pandemic started, some local residents picked blueberries, pine nuts, pine mushrooms, or medicinal herbs and sold them to Chinese traders or North Korean traders who sold to China.75 [...] [171] Human Rights Watch interviews with two former traders from Ryanggang province, location withheld, in May 2021.