Trade volume between North Korea and China was found to have expanded further this year following the halt of inter-Korean trade resulting from the “Cheonan” incident.

According to Chinese customs officials Tuesday, the trade volume between North Korea and China stood at 983-point-six million dollars in the first five months of the year. That’s up 18 percent from the same period last year.

The North imported some 727 million dollars worth of goods from China during the January-to-May period, up 29 percent from the same period last year, while Pyongyang’s exports to China slid nearly five percent to 256 million dollars.

As a result, the North posted a trade deficit of some 471 million dollars with China for the first five months of the year. That’s up 60 percent from the same period last year.