The Voice of America (VOA) says humanitarian aid to North Korea by U.S. civilian organizations has surged this year.
 
Citing data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the VOA said the volume of trade the U.S. made with North Korea stood at 19-point-eight million U.S. dollars in the first six months of this year. The amount is nearly a four-fold increase from five million U.S. dollars in the same period last year.
 
However, in U.S.–North Korea relations, most of the bilateral trade is humanitarian aid by the U.S.
 
Humanitarian supplies by U.S. civilian groups accounted for 99 percent of U.S. trade with North Korea in the first half of this year.
 
Other items the U.S. exported to the North included medical equipment, poultry, shoes and plastic products.