North Korea exported as much iron to China in first five months of 2017 as it did in the entirety of the previous year, figures from Chinese customs compiled by the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) show.

According to the data, many of the DPRK’s exporters have fallen on hard times since UN prohibited or restricted member states various North Korean metals and minerals.

But iron traders appear to be having more luck and have seen their shipments surge, despite also being subject to UN Resolutions 2270 and 2321.

While North Korean iron exports fell