North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to have kicked North Korea’s pandemic prevention plan into overdrive, further tightening the country’s nearly impassible borders, cutting off nearly all trade with China, and even allegedly executing a customs official for failing to handle imported goods appropriately.
Beijing exported just $253,000 worth of goods to Pyongyang in October — a drop of 99% from September to October, according to data published by China’s customs administration. For context, that’s less in terms of dollar value than China exported to Liechtenstein and Monaco during October. As per CNN report, China’s imports in North Korea in the month of October is less in terms of dollar value than what China exported to Liechtenstein and Monaco during the same month. China is North Korea’s biggest trading partner and thus contributes positively to the latter’s economy as Pyongyang does not receive significant imports from any other nation. Moreover, Beijing accounted for over 90 per cent of entire foreign trade by Pyongyang before the United Nations (UN) slapped major sanctions on North Korea as punishment for its nuclear program in 2016 and 2017.
