North Korean shipping seems to be back to rates seen before the country’s tough second lockdown, with thirteen DPRK-flagged vessels actively transmitting data from March 3-12, according to Automatic Identification System (AIS) records. The continued rise in ship traffic indicated that North Korea’s maritime quarantine restrictions were loosened in February.

The lift in restrictions will likely bring much-needed Chinese imports back to the DPRK, which saw business with its largest trading partner fall 81% in value from 2019 to 2020. The lack of imported goods has been clearest in the retail sector, with prices spiking and Pyongyang’s