China’s apparent cessation of crude oil deliveries to North Korea extended into 2015, according to customs data from January. At the same time, the DPRK began to benefit from the collapse in global oil prices, increasing purchases of gasoline and making large savings on other oil products like diesel.

North Korea’s long standing energy patron raised eyebrows in December 2013 when crude oil deliveries disappeared from its official customs data. Analysts however are skeptical the numbers tell the whole story.

“We cannot use the word ‘resume’ as nobody knows about the crude oil trade between