North Korea-China trade drops after Jang Song-taek's execution

Details
Title | North Korea-China trade drops after Jang Song-taek's execution |
Author | Arirang News |
Duration | 1:49 |
File Format | MP3 / MP4 |
Original URL | https://youtube.com/watch?v=rFMAJQkRtj8 |
Description
Before he was executed late last year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's uncle was known to have had close ties with China.
So it's perhaps not surprising that bilateral trade between the two nations has dropped in the months since... But the amount by which it dropped... might be.
Song Ji-sun reports. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's execution of his uncle Jang Song-thaek has taken a toll on cross-border trade between Pyongyang and Beijing.
According to the Seoul-based Korea International Trade Association, North Korea's trade volume with China dropped significantly in the first two months of the year compared to previous years.
February's trade volume dropped by nearly 50 percent from January... and is forecast to drop into the second quarter of this year.
Exports of natural resources like coal and iron ore dropped about a quarter in February from a month earlier.
In his role as Pyongyang's number-two over the past decades... Jang sold the country's national resources to China at knockdown prices -- producing profits but eventually playing a part in his demise.
Jang's strong trade ties with China have been almost completely cleared as Kim Jong-un purged all of Jang's aides.
Sources say hundreds of North Korean merchants in China... have disappeared after Jang's execution.
Instead, Pyongyang has been importing more fertilizer from China... partly because Seoul did not offer to send any aid due to Pyongyang's continued provocations.
Some are anticipating the reduced trade between North Korea and China... may open a new channel for the South... as Pyongyang needs a new route for economic cooperation.
Song Ji-sun, Arirang News.