By Choi Ha-young
North Korea’s dependence on Russia for oil has increased threefold this year compared to the same period the previous year, according to media reports, Tuesday.
Citing Russian customs material records, the Voice of America (VOA) said that Russian oil exports to North Korea totaled $2.3 million by April this year, a considerable increase from $740, 000 last year.
According to the report, 96 percent of the exports were not crude oil. Reportedly, the North used to import 99 percent of its oil from China, its traditional ally, but recently has reached out to Russia to diversify its oil supplies.
“Half of North Korea’s oil needs are processed oil. North Korea has imported gasoline and jet fuel from Russia, since trade with China is more likely to be detected,” Cho Han-bum, a senior research fellow from the Korea Institute for National Unification, said.
Last month, a senior-level North Korean defector who used to deal with the nation’s oil trade told the VOA that North Korea annually imports 200,000 to 300,000 tons of Russian oil through a Singaporean company. “From China, the North receives around 500,000 tons of crude oil per year through pipelines in the form of a loan,” the defector Ri Jong-ho said.
Pyongyang’s increased dependence on Moscow indicates its preparation for tougher international sanctions following its recent intercontinental ballistic missile launch. A ranking governmental official said on the condition of anonymity that the international community is “seriously discussing” the fuel embargo as part of additional sanctions.
Particularly, the Unites States has turned the heat up on China through a “secondary boycott” that could impose penalties on Chinese firms and individuals. “We can restrict the flow of oil to their military and their weapons program. We can increase air and maritime restrictions. We can hold senior regime officials accountable,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said in a U.N. speech, July 5.
Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha mentioned the secondary boycott Monday. “The U.S. seems to be participating in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) discussion with a basic stance of putting maximum economic pressure on the North either through the UNSC or on its own.”
For China that shares a border with the North, oil supply to the reclusive country is crucial to maintain the nation’s stability which is important for its own border security. In May, oil prices on the North Korean black market skyrocketed following a rumor that China may cease to supply oil to the North, Radio Free Asia said recently.