Tuesday, July 21, 2026
The Trump-Kim summit has raised hopes of a relaxation of sanctions on North Korea, allowing imports of much-needed fuel from South Korean refiners and exports of its rich mineral deposits. The United Nations Security Council resolution 2397 - aimed at forcing Pyongyang back to the negotiating table - capped refined petroleum exports to North Korea at 500,000 barrels annually. It also capped crude oil supplies at 4 million barrels a year. If the peace talks are successful, they could revive plans to build a Russian gas pipeline, with a capacity of up to 10 billion cubic metres per year via North Korea to the south of the peninsula. The project between Russia's Gazprom and state-owned South Korean Gas Corp, or Kogas, was first agreed in 2008 but shelved in 2012. In addition to black gold, the nation’s mountains contain vast mineral reserves, including iron, gold, magnesite, zinc, copper, limestone, molybdenum, graphite, and possibly the world’s most significant deposits of rare earth elements needed to make smartphones and other high-tech products. Estimates of the value’s of North Korea’s mineral resources have varied between $6 trillion and $10 trillion
