N. Korea's exports hit 5-year high in 2024: data

North Korea's exports climbed to the highest amount in five years last year, data showed Monday. North Korea exported a total of $360.4 million worth of goods in 2024, up 10.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA). The figure marks the highest since 2019. North Korea's exports have been steadily increasing over the past three years after posting a sharp decline in 2020 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Such an increase in exports was largely driven by a rise in shipments of wigs and faux lashes, as well as minerals, including tungsten, the agency said. North Korea's imports, on the other hand, fell 4.4 percent on-year to $2.3 billion. Accordingly, the reclusive country's overall trade volume shrank 2.6 percent on-year to about $2.7 billion. China continued to remain North Korea's top trading partner, accounting for 98 percent of its entire trade. The regime's trade deficit with China, however, shrank 8.4 percent from $2.1 billion in 2023 to $2 billion last year. Along with China, Argentina, Vietnam, the Netherlands aWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times