North Korea has provided military support to Russia, which is currently at war with Ukraine, estimated at 14 trillion KRW (approximately 10 billion USD). However, analysts suggest that North Korea has received only about 1 trillion KRW (approximately 718 million USD) in return.
On September 19, NK News, citing a report from the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom’s Korean office, revealed that since 2023, North Korea has supplied Russia with up to 9.8 billion USD worth of shells, rockets, missiles, heavy weapons, and personnel. The report noted that Russia has reciprocated with only a tenth of that value in food, fuel, and military equipment.
Olena Huseynova, the report’s author and a lecturer at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, assessed that Russia’s total aid to North Korea doesn’t exceed 1.19 billion USD. Huseynova emphasized Russia’s extreme caution in transferring advanced technology to North Korea.
The report suggests that North Korea is willing to accept these unequal terms, viewing potential technology transfers, battlefield testing opportunities for weapon systems, and reduced international isolation through closer ties with the United Nations (UN) Security Council permanent members as strategic benefits.
This analysis contradicts an earlier estimate by the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA), which projected that North Korea could earn 20 billion USD from arms sales to Russia. The new report argues that the actual figure is likely less than half that, under 10 billion USD.
According to the report, Russia likely purchased North Korean weapons at bulk discount rates rather than at market prices. It is speculated that North Korea may have offered competitive pricing due to its rivalry with Iran in supplying arms to Russia and its desire to strengthen ties with Moscow.
North Korea has reportedly sent about 15,000 troops to Russia and supplied millions of rounds of 122mm and 152mm artillery shells, 248 KN-23 ballistic missiles, and cluster munitions.