The price foreign residents pay for petroleum in Pyongyang dropped for the first time since October last year, new data at the NK Pro energy price index showed on Thursday.

A liter of petroleum in the North Korean capital now costs 1.26 euros, a drop of nearly 20% off the 1.53 level which has prevailed since last October, though the price of diesel remains unchanged at 1.5 euros a liter.

But despite the change, the reduced petroleum price is nevertheless running some 67% higher than in April last year, the last data point prior to an unexpected fuel price spike