Which countries is North Korea doing business with?

About 80 countries trade with Pyongyang, such as China, India, Germany and Singapore.

North Korea has a very small influence on global trade, ranking only 119th among the world's largest exporting economies, according to figures from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The country exports $3 billion worth of goods each year, such as coal, oil and retail products. It relies heavily on imports, totaling nearly $3.5 billion.

China is North Korea's largest trading partner. In 2015, it accounted for nearly 85% of its neighbor's total trade, according to UN figures. Beijing mainly buys coal and other minerals from Pyongyang, which in turn supplies food and fuel to its neighbor.

North Korea depends heavily on imported food sources. Photo: Reuters

MIT data shows that in addition to China, India and Pakistan are also among the top three export destinations for North Korean goods. Meanwhile, the country's largest import sources are China, India, Russia and Thailand.

According to 2016 data from the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), about 80 countries have business relations with Pyongyang. Among them are Germany, Singapore, Portugal and France.

Singapore is North Korea’s eighth-largest trading partner, but bilateral trade fell 90 percent last year, while the Philippines’ trade increased 171 percent, KOTRA said.

According to DW, in 2015, Germany imported $3.4 million worth of goods from North Korea, such as iron ore, steel cables and X-ray equipment. In return, they exported $7.4 million to the country, mainly pharmaceuticals.

However, these figures may not accurately reflect the current situation, as China banned coal imports from North Korea in February. India also banned trade with North Korea in April, due to tightening sanctions from the United Nations.

North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test on September 3, its most powerful since 2006. Following the incident, US President Donald Trump tweeted that the US was considering stopping business with any country that trades with North Korea.

However, many countries in this group are also economic partners of the US, which makes observers doubt the feasibility of the above statement.

China, North Korea’s largest trading partner, is also one of the United States’ largest. Last year, the United States imported more than $462 billion worth of Chinese goods and exported more than $115 billion in return, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. Cutting off trade with Beijing would also cost the United States nearly a million jobs in industries that export to China.

Relations between the US and China are tense. Mr. Trump has repeatedly urged China to be tougher on North Korea, while criticizing the country for its huge trade surplus with the United States. Last weekend, he declared that China “has been helpful, but not very effective.”

US diplomacy with Russia is no better, following accusations of Russian interference in last year’s controversial presidential election. Given these factors, economists say the US would find it difficult to sustain a trade war with both countries.

According to VNE