how do countries end up with a trade deficit
Balance of trade If a country exports a greater value than it imports, it has a trade surplus or positive balance, and conversely, if a country imports a greater value than it exports, it has a trade deficit or negative balance. The notion that bilateral trade deficits are bad in and of themselves is overwhelmingly rejected by trade experts and economists.[2][3][4][5][6]
Economy of North Korea North Korea’s foreign trade deteriorated in the 1990s. After hitting the bottom of $1.4 billion in 1998, it recovered slightly. North Korea’s trade total in 2002 was $2.7 billion: only about 50% of $5.2 billion in 1988, even in nominal US dollars. These figures exclude intra-Korean trade, deemed internal, which rose in 2002 to $641 million. During the late 2000s trade grew strongly, almost tripling between 2007 and 2011 to $5.6 billion, with much of the growth being with China.[96] By about 2010 external trade had returned to 1990 levels, and by 2014 was near double 1990 levels, alongside trade with China increasing from 50% of total trade in 2005 to near 90% in 2014.[20]