North Korea’s illicit fuel imports jumped 70% in 2022, UN data suggests
Member states tell Panel of Experts that DPRK imported nearly 800K barrels through August, exceeding annual cap

North Korea’s illicit imports of refined petroleum increased as much as 70% in 2022 compared to the year before, according to NK Pro analysis of figures in a forthcoming U.N. report.
But the total volume is still well below what the DPRK imported annually from 2018-2020, implying that ongoing COVID-19 border controls continue to limit Pyongyang’s ability to import large volumes of refined fuel.
Data provided by a group of 52 member states to the U.N. Panel of Experts shows that North Korea may have illicitly imported as much as 792,383 barrels of refined petroleum