North Korea’s trade with China posted a ninefold increase in May from the year before, official data shows, despite declining slightly from April.

According to China’s General Administration of Customs, the total trade volume between Beijing and Pyongyang reached $189.57 million last month, a dramatic increase from $20.31 million in May 2022 following the country’s first reported outbreak of COVID-19.

The total represented a slight decline from April’s $199.98 million and the COVID-era high of $206.2 million in January. Trade volumes remain significantly lower than the pre-pandemic peak of more than $250 million in Dec. 2019, though the May figures