N. Korea's imports of refined petroleum from China, Russia plunge in Aug

North Korea imported only about 142 tons of refined petroleum from China in August, dropping to about one-tenth of the 1,498 tons it imported in July.

The August volume also went down by nearly 94 percent from the amount North Korea imported from China in August last year.

North Korea's purchases of refined petroleum from Russia in August were only 32 tons, dropping nearly 99 percent from August last year

The combined volume of refined petroleum that North Korea reportedly ve imported from the two countries from January to August this year stood at 17,294 tons, or 129,706 barrels.

Under the Security Council Resolution 2397, member countries' shipments to North Korea of refined petroleum were limited to 500,000 barrels per year.

The resolution also requires member countries to provide the Security Council with regular reports on their refined petroleum exports to North Korea.

The resolution was adopted in 2017 in response to the North's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile in November that year.