North Korea procured record quantities of a fertilizer chemical from China in December, knocking imports of human hair for wigs off the top spot.

North Korea and China trade spiked to a four-year high of nearly $260 million in the last month of 2023, and NK Pro analysis of line-item data from China’s General Administration of Customs shows that the DPRK imported record quantities of a chemical used in fertilizers in December.

Pyongyang procured almost 40,000 tons of diammonium hydrogen orthophosphate worth $25.3 million, representing a nearly 25-fold jump from November and its highest monthly value in 2023. [/p