The value of North Korean-China trade hit $2.2 billion last year, official data shows, finishing on a high note with the strongest month for exchange in December.

But the 2024 total fell short of the $2.3 billion recorded the previous year and the $2.8 billion posted at the pre-pandemic peak in 2019, according to China’s General Administration of Customs (GAC). 

Imports remained the major driver of North Korea’s commercial ties with its northern neighbor, despite a slight overall slump to $1.9 billion from over $2 billion in 2023.

Peter Ward, an expert on the North Korean economy, noted that the