North Korea provided Russia with weapons and troops worth an estimated $7.67 billion to $14.4 billion during the war in Ukraine, according to a new report cited by Bloomberg on March 18. The estimates were prepared by South Korea’s Institute for National Security Strategy and cover the period from August 2023 to December 2025. Researchers said the wide range reflects limited data on the exact type and volume of ammunition shipments. Reports Dw.com.
The report says Russia has mainly compensated Pyongyang by transferring military technology and high-precision components that are difficult to detect by satellite. These items reportedly account for 80% to 96% of the total compensation. The figure is lower than an earlier estimate by the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, which put North Korea’s gains from supporting Russia at about $20 billion for the period from July 2023 to March 2025.
Military ties between Moscow and Pyongyang deepened after Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un signed a strategic partnership agreement in 2024 during the Russian leader’s first visit to North Korea in 24 years. The deal says both sides must provide military assistance to each other if either faces an armed attack. The report also says the first major arms deliveries began in August 2023, while 1,500 North Korean special forces troops arrived in Vladivostok between October 8 and October 13, 2024.
South Korean central bank data cited in the report suggest that North Korea’s economy grew by 3.7% in 2024, its fastest pace since 2016. The country’s nominal gross national income reached about 44.4 trillion won, equal to roughly 1.7% of South Korea’s level.
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