N. Korea's exports hit 8-year high in 2025: data

Clothes are displayed at an exhibition in Pyongyang showcasing North Korea's most competitive export items May 3, 2024, in this image from the Korean Central News Agency. Yonhap

North Korea's exports rose sharply to an eight-year high in 2025 as the country's trade continued to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, data showed Tuesday.

North Korea exported $468.59 million worth of goods in 2025, up 30 percent from a year earlier, according to the data from the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).

The figure marked the highest level since 2017, when the country's goods exports reached $1.77 billion.

The reclusive country's exports have steadily increased in recent years after plunging in 2020 due to the global outbreak.

Its imports totaled $2.66 billion, up 13.9 percent from a year earlier, resulting in a trade deficit of $2.19 billion.

China was North Korea's biggest trade partner, accounting for 98.2 percent of its total trade.

North Korea's trade deficit with China rose 11.9 percent to $2.19 billion last year.

Prepared feathers and down, minerals, steel, mineral fuels, and watches and watch parts were North Korea's major export items, the latest KOTRA data showed.