N. Korea reaps tungsten windfall but fails to contain inflation: report

North Korea earned a windfall from soaring tungsten prices, largely thanks to China’s tighter export controls on the mineral in the first half of this year, but the gains were too small to offset a sharp slide in its currency and rising inflation, a report showed.

Between January and May, North Korea’s exports to China rose to $287 million, up 68 percent on-year from about $171 million.

Tungsten ore accounted for $88 million, or nearly one-third of the total, according to a report released last ...