SEOUL, Dec. 30 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's trade with China is likely to reach a record volume this year as the North's economic reliance on its closest ally is deepening amid its isolation from the world, data showed Sunday.

   North Korea's trade with China was valued at US$4.96 billion won in the January-October period, up 6.3 percent from a year earlier, according to the Korea International Trade Association (KITA).

   Given the monthly trade volume reaching $400 million to $500 million this year, the full-year trade is likely to surpass the current record volume of $5.62 billion tallied for last year, the KITA said.

   China's trade surplus with the North amounted to $760 million in the cited period, up 33 percent from a year earlier.

   China's exports of oil and petrochemical products accounted for the largest portion of $483 million, followed by trucks with $87.5 million and flour with $52.6 million, it added.

   In a separate report by the state-run statistics agency, North Korea's trade with China accounted for more than 70 percent of its total exports and imports last year, indicating that Pyongyang's reliance on China is deepening.

   South Korea's relations with the North have been frozen since President Lee Myung-bak took office in 2008, virtually cutting inter-Korean economic cooperation.

   In response, the North has strengthened its ties with China in an effort to help revive its moribund economy alongside stricter international sanctions following nuclear and rocket tests.

   sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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