Russian trade with North Korea continued its ongoing downward trajectory in 2016, with exports to the DPRK falling below their 2015 counterparts, analysis of data from the ITC trade map shows.

While numbers for the last quarter of 2016 have yet to appear, Russian shipments to North Korea would need to increase dramatically to turn reverse the downward trend which began in 2014.

Despite many publicized attempts to facilitate trade between the two countries beginning in late 2014, the flurry of diplomatic and trade initiatives has yet to generate tangible results. By the end of the third quarter of 2016, Russian