North Korea profits £16 billion aiding Russia in the Ukraine war
North Korea earned over £16 billion by supporting Russia in the war with Ukraine, according to a KIDA report. Thousands of soldiers and millions of ammunition have been sent from Pyongyang to the front. Over 4,000 North Koreans have died. Experts warn: this must end.
According to information published on Wednesday by the American newspaper Newsweek, North Korea's involvement in the war on Russia's side has brought Pyongyang a profit exceeding £16 billion.
The journal cites a report from the South Korean research institute KIDA (Korea Institute for Defence Analyses).
The document indicates that the primary source of income for Kim Jong Un's regime is ammunition supplies for the Russian army. Additionally, Pyongyang reportedly benefited from sending several thousand soldiers to the front. It is estimated that out of the 11,000 North Korean military personnel fighting on Russia's side, primarily in the Russian Kursk region, about 4,000 have died so far.
Analysts from KIDA indicate that North Korea most likely prefers to receive in-kind benefits and technological support from Moscow in exchange for its assistance.
The authors of the report emphasise the need for the war to end as soon as possible and for decisive actions to be taken to halt the military collaboration between Russia and Pyongyang.
"Newsweek" notes that KIDA's findings are consistent with analyses conducted by the Open Source Centre (OSC) and the Reuters agency. Both institutions estimated that from August 2023 to March 2025, North Korea provided Russia with over 15,800 containers of ammunition.
The analyses utilised satellite images and three-dimensional visualisations. It was determined that 64 shipments carried out by four Russian ships could contain between approximately 4.6 and 6.4 million rounds of North Korean ammunition.
The difficult military situation on the front and the consequences of Western sanctions have forced Russia to seek military and economic support from its allies, including China, Iran, and North Korea.
