UNITED NATIONS: North Korea sharply stepped up trade in coal and oil pro­ducts last year in defiance of United Nations sanctions through the appa­rent help of China’s shipping industry, a UN panel said Friday. The panel, quoting data from an unspecified country, estimated that North Korea exported 3.7 million tons of coal between January and August last year, grossing around $370 million. The report said the North also far exceeded a UN restriction on importing more than 500,000 barrels a year in refined petroleum. Citing the United States as its source, the panel said North Korea had imported more than 3.89 million barrels of refined petroleum products between January and October 2019. China is North Korea’s primary political and economic ally and had backed UN sanctions out of frustration with Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile tests.

Source: Manila Times April 17, 2020 22:30 UTC