North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with Russian President Vladimir Putin Photo: KCNA/UPI
According to a new study published by the German Friedrich Naumann Foundation, North Korea is providing Russia with weapons worth up to $5.5 billion for its military operations in Ukraine. This raises serious concerns about the growth of support from the DPRK, in particular because of the possibility of deploying its own troops in the conflict zone, Time Ukraine Israel reports.
The author of the report, international relations expert Elena Huseynova from Hankuk University in Seoul, made the assessment based on intelligence data, public documents and the cost of ammunition on the world market. The results of the analysis show that the total cost of North Korean arms shipments starting in February 2022 could range from $1.7 billion to $5.5 billion.
Due to the limited access to official information from North Korea, the exact figures remain uncertain, but South Korean intelligence, using satellite imagery, records arms flows between Pyongyang and Moscow. According to their data, the DPRK transfers to Russia mainly artillery shells and short-range missiles, which significantly strengthens Russian positions on the front.
Frederik Spoh, head of the South Korean office of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, notes that Pyongyang’s cooperation with Moscow poses a threat to global security and further exacerbates the situation in East Asia.
As noted in the report, this support amounts to approximately 25% of North Korea’s annual GDP, estimated at $23.7 billion. This amount of aid underscores the level of involvement of the Kim Jong-un regime in the conflict and its desire to support Russia amid growing international isolation.
