North Korean trade with Russia fell in 2015, despite a campaign to bolster trade interactions between the two countries throughout last year, data from the ITC Trade Map shows.

Trading in rubles, a new bilateral business council, electricity infrastructure and road construction agreements were not enough to boost either imports or exports between the two countries.

Russian imports of North Korean goods saw the steeper decline, dropping by 50 percent to the lowest levels since 2004.  Tough economic times in Russia are a possible culprit as the country battled sanctions and a global rout in the price of