North Korea expanded its foreign trade in 2025 and deepened its dependence on its key commercial partner China, a new ROK report found, with Pyongyang primarily focusing its trade in Asia while maintaining ties with European and African states.

The South Korean government’s Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) said in a report released Tuesday that North Korea’s foreign trade rose 16% year-on-year to $3.13 billion in 2025, from $2.7 billion the previous year.

Pyongyang’s exports expanded by 30% over the same period to $470 million, while imports rose nearly 14% to $2.66 billion, leaving the country with a $2.2 billion