North Korea has earned about $20 billion from Russia's support and received a lot of technology
North Korea supplies Russia with billions of dollars worth of weapons and ammunition, receiving not only financial rewards but also access to modern military technologies. This is stated in a report by the South Korean Institute for Defence Analysis (KIDA), published by NK News.
Here's What We Know
According to analysts, since August 2023, Pyongyang has shipped about 21,000 containers of weapons to Russia, mostly by sea. The bulk of the supplies consisted of 122-mm and 152-mm artillery ammunition, rockets, Bulsae-4 ATGMs, and KN-23 ballistic missiles. The total value of this assistance may reach $19.2 billion.
In addition to weapons, the DPRK receives income from other sources. For example, Russia has paid approximately $630 million for technology provided to North Korea, as well as about $280 million for the participation of approximately 11,000 North Korean military personnel in combat operations, mostly in the Kursk region.
The monthly salary of each soldier was $2,000 plus a one-time bonus, part of which reportedly goes to the DPRK government first.
Illustration by dictator Kim: KCNA
According to analysts, Pyongyang prefers barter: instead of cash, it uses technology, in particular in the areas of nuclear submarines, fourth-generation aircraft, drones, and even long-range radar detection systems. It was Russia's technological support that probably allowed North Korea to rapidly develop precision weapons and create its own airborne radar aircraft.
KIDA analyst Park Yong-han believes that such cooperation strengthens Moscow's influence on the Korean Peninsula and at the same time helps the Kim regime maintain stability in times of regional tension.
The British think tank Open Source Centre has confirmed massive shipments from the DPRK by tracking nearly 16,000 containers of weapons to Russia over the past 20 months. They were counted using satellite imagery and 3D models of cargo ships, estimating the capacity of each container.
Open Source Centre analysts' method for counting ammunition. Illustration: Reuters
According to these data, the total number of artillery shells delivered could be between 4 and 6 million units. This coincides with Ukrainian intelligence estimates that Russia has received 4 million shells since mid-2023.
Source: NK News
