North Korea received the money and diplomatic leverage it needed by sending troops to fight against Ukraine. The DPRK has sent about 11,000 troops to Russia.
This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to The New York Times.
According to the publication, sending troops brings North Korea a number of benefits, including much-needed money and diplomatic leverage. Kim Jong-un receives food, oil, cash, and modern weapons systems worth billions of dollars from Russia. This is likely to allow his regime to withstand international sanctions and modernize its conventional armed forces.
In June, Mr. Kim and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin signed a treaty on mutual defense and cooperation in Pyongyang. After that, North Korea began sending troops to Russia.
According to the NYT, North Korea has provided Russia with weapons in 20,000 shipping containers. These include millions of artillery shells, newly developed ballistic missiles, multiple launch rocket systems, and long-range howitzers.
North Korea may have earned up to $5.5 billion from arms deals with Russia. The DPRK can also receive up to $572 million annually through the deployment of troops. At the same time, the country's official exports amounted to $330 million last year alone.
However, neither Russia nor North Korea has disclosed how Moscow paid the DPRK.
Author - Dmitriy Levchenko, 18/12/2024