North Korea’s dependence on its main economic benefactor China rose to a record high last year on the back of expanding commercial exchanges, according to a new report, even as Pyongyang made high-profile efforts to boost ties with Russia.

China accounted for 98.3% of the DPRK’s official trade with the outside world in 2023, up from 96.7% the year before, the Seoul-based Korea Trade Promotion Corporation (KOTRA) assessed in the report on Sunday.