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Jan S. Krogh's Geosite: China - North Korea - Russia (CNKPRU) Triline Border

According to the Russian view, a zone from the line between marker 3 to marker 2 and to the Korean-Russian railway bridge is still disputed at the China - North Korea - Russian (CNKPRU) Triline Border. This is the World's easternmost border where three countries meet.  The main issue with the treaty is where to determine the eastern river bank as the river is changing it's path at this point. The Russian part demands a river bank as marked as the green line, while the Korean side appears to insist on a bank which goes with the blue line.  The debated area is therefore the yellow shaded area.  

On June 20, 2002, Wang Guangya, Chinese deputy foreign minister and North Korean ambassador to China Choi Jinsu, and Goncharov, Charge d'Affaires of the Russian Embassy in China, jointly signed in Beijing the "Protocol among the Government of the People's Republic of China, the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Government of the Russian Federation on the Tri-junction of the Boundary between and among the Three Countries in the Tumen River". 1)  The actual content of this protocol is still not known, but it might be the 1998 Draft Treaty quoted below.

There is no CNKPRU tripoint here, but a CNKPKPRU tripoint where the Korean border and the Russian border meet the joint Chinese-Korean border 2). There is also a CNKPRU triline where the common CNKP river border meets the Russian part of the river. Eventually there is also a CNCNKPRU tripoint border where Chinese land border meets the CNKP border and the RU border. This last point is about 83 metres southwest of the CNRU boundary marker no 423 and Treaty Marker no 1.

According to the Russian view the Korean-Russian river border goes between the third and fourth bridge segment, counted from Russian side. This is not pointed out in the draft treaty (see below). The Russian side also maintains that the border goes from border marker 423 (Marker 1) and straight to this river bridge point. This may be the old borderline which still is de jure boundary line as the border treaty still is not signed. The new border should follow the river midline, which will vary out from on the water level.

Article 3 of the Draft Treaty gives the positions of marker 1 and marker 2 (Pyongyang co-ordinate system). Assuming that the needed correction for WGS 84 system is 95,5 m in 67,5°, we get the new locations marked above as "423/1?" and "2?".  During our 2011 Scandinavian expedition we found marker no 3 at 42° 25' 14,6" N 130° 38' 24,4" E (WGS 84), which gives us a practical perfect line where marker 1 is only 2,8 m from the direct line between marker 3 and marker 2.  This can be explained out from the fact that we do not know the correct of Pyongyang co-ordinate system coefficients.
(Click on the image in order to get a higher resolution picture.)

GOVERNMENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
DECREE
3), 4)

August, 6, 1998, no. 891

Moscow

On the reaching of an Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation, the Government of the Chinese People's Republic, and the Government of the Korean Democratic People's Republic on the definition of the line of delimitation of the boundary water areas of the three countries on the Tumannaja river.

The Government of the Russian Federation decrees:

To approve the draft, presented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, in agreement with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the Federal Boundary Service of the Russian Federation, and the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation, the Government of the Chinese People's Republic, and the Government of the Korean Democratic People's Republic on the definition of the line of delimitation of the boundary water areas of the three countries on the Tumannaja river (annexed to this decree).

To instruct the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation to sign the said Agreement in the name of the Russian Federation, following the reaching of an agreement with the Chinese and Korean sides, while allowing it to make changes in and additions to this draft as long as these are not of principal importance.

The Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation,

S. Kirienko

Draft
AGREEMENT

between the Government of the Russian Federation, the Government of the Chinese People's Republic, and the Government of the Korean Democratic People's Republic on the definition of the line of delimitation of the boundary water areas of the three countries on the Tumannaja river.

The Government of the Russian Federation, the Government of the Chinese People's Republic, and the Government of the Korean Democratic People's Republic, hereafter named the Sides, aiming to strengthen and develop their good-neighbourly and friendly ties, governed by the principles of the reciprocal recognition of sovereignty, territorial integrity, equality, and reciprocal advantages, on the basis of the existing boundary agreements between the three countries, with the aim of defining a line, forming a boundary on the Tumannaja river (Tumèn'czjan, Tumangan) between the water area of the Russian Federation and the water area of the Korean Democratic People's Republic, and the joint boundary water area of the Chinese People's Republic and the Korean Democratic People's Republic (hereafter: line delimiting the boundary water areas of the three countries), have agreed to the following:

Article 1

1. The line delimiting the boundary water areas of the three countries on the Tumannaja river is a straight line, running perpendicular from boundary marker no. 423 on the Russian-Chinese state boundary to the line in the middle of the main channel of the river in between the two river banks.

This line marks the boundary of the Chinese-Korean joint boundary water area on the Tumannaja river.

2. The state boundary meeting point of the Russian Federation, the Chinese People's Republic, and the Korean Democratic People's Republic on the Tumannaja river (hereafter – state boundary meeting point of the three countries) is located on the point where the line delimiting the boundary water areas of the three countries intersects the middle line of the main channel of the river.

This point marks at the same time the starting point of the Russian-Korean state boundary.

Article 2

In the case of any natural changes taking place on the Tumannaja river, the location of the line delimiting the boundary water areas of the three countries will not change until the Sides agree otherwise.

Article 3

1. The line delimiting the boundary water areas of the three countries and the state boundary meeting point of the three countries will be demarcated by three markers, placed on both banks of the Tumannaja river, in line with the line delimiting the boundary water areas of the three countries.

As marker no. 1 will serve boundary marker no. 423 on the Russian-Chinese boundary, located on the left bank of the Tumannaja river, and has the following co-ordinates:

Lat. = 42°25'10,2" N.

Long. = 130°38'17,7" E.

Marker no. 2 will be erected on the right bank of the Tumannaja river on Korean territory and has the following co-ordinates:

Lat. = 42°24'59,5" N.

Long. = 130°38'06,5" E.

Marker no. 3 will be erected on the left bank of the Tumannaja river on Russian territory, its geographical co-ordinates will be additionally established in the terrain.

The co-ordinates of the markers are established according to the Pyongyang co-ordinate system.

A boundary marker on the state boundary meeting point of the three countries, which is located on the water level of the Tumannaja river, will not be erected.

2. Marker no. 1 consists of a four-sided granite marker on a concrete base. The side facing Russia bears the inscription in the Russian language "RF"; the side facing China bears the inscription in the Chinese language "China", above the name of the country the state coat-of-arms of the CPR has been fixed. Under the names of the countries, the number of the boundary marker "423" and the year of its establishment "1993" have been inscribed in Arabic numerals. On the other two sides of the marker there are no inscriptions.

Marker no. 2 consists of a three-sided granite marker on a concrete base. The side facing Russia bears the inscription in the Russian language "Russia", the side facing China bears the inscription in the Chinese language "China", the side facing Korea bears the inscription in the Korean language "Korea". Under the names of the countries, the number of the marker and the year of establishment are indicated in Arabic numerals.

Marker no. 3 consists of a three-sided granite marker on a concrete base. The side facing Russia bears the inscription in the Russian language "Russia", the side facing China bears the inscription in the Chinese language "China", the side facing Korea bears the inscription in the Korean language "Korea". Under the names of the countries, the number of the marker and the year of establishment are indicated in Arabic numerals.

Drawings and dimensions of the markers mentioned are annexed to this Agreement.

Article 4.

1. The Sides will co-operate and will take the appropriate measures to prevent that the markers are moved, damaged, or lost. None of the Sides has the right to unilaterally erect other markers that touch on the goals of this Agreement.

2. The Chinese Side is responsible for the conservation and repair of marker no. 1, the Korean Side is responsible for that of marker no. 2, and the Russian side is responsible for that of marker no. 3.

3. In the event of the discovery by one of the Sides that any of the markers has been moved, damaged, or lost, this Side should inform the other two Sides immediately. The Side that is responsible for the conservation and repair of the marker involved has to repair the marker in the presence of representatives of the other two Sides, or erect a new marker on the place of the former, in accordance with the drawings and dimensions as indicated in the annex to this Agreement.

On the re-erection of a marker or the erection of a new marker the Sides will draw up and sign a joint protocol.

4. In case it is necessary to change the location of any of the markers, the Sides may do so after an agreement has been reached. In that case the change in the location of the marker may not lead to a change in the line delimiting the boundary water areas of the three countries or a change in the state boundary meeting point of the three countries, established in the present Agreement.

On the changing of the location of a marker the Sides will draw up and sign a joint protocol.

Article 5

After the coming into force of this Agreement, the Sides will, in the framework of the trilateral talks, define the concrete location of the state boundary meeting point of the three countries and the co-ordinates of marker no. 3, will erect markers no. 2 and 3, will draw up a descriptive protocol of the state boundary meeting point of the three countries between the Government of the Russian Federation, the Government of the Chinese People's Republic, and the Government of the Korean Democratic People's Republic and will draw up a map of the area of the state boundary meeting point of the three countries.

Article 6

The present Agreement comes into force at the time of its signing.

Made up in…, the …th of …, 199…, in three copies, each of them in the Russian, Chinese, and Korean languages, each of the texts having equal power.

For the Government of the Russian Federation

For the Government of the Chinese People's Republic

For the Government of the Korean Democratic People's Republic

 

Sources:
1. China's Territorial and Boundary Affairs (2003/06/30)

2. Both Yalu River and Tumen River are de facto Chinese-Korean condominia, ref. http://chinaperspectives.revues.org/806, point 14-15. 
2. Draft Treaty: Posting on 24 Nov 2003 in Boundary Point by Mr Peter Smaardijk. 

3. Draft Treaty (original text): http://bestpravo.ru/fed1998/data04/tex16819.htm

 

First time published on 28.09.11.  This page was last time updated on 04.03.12