North Korea has earned up to $14 billion over three years by sending its military personnel to the war against Ukraine and supplying weapons to Russia — an amount almost equal to the country’s annual GDP, according to Japanese agency Nikkei, citing an assessment by a research institute under South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS).
According to the Bank of Korea, North Korea’s economic growth due to its participation in the war against Ukraine on Russia’s side in 2024 amounted to 3.7%, the highest level in many years.
Only from supplying rocket artillery and around 250 KN-23 missiles, Pyongyang could have received between $7 billion and $13.8 billion from Moscow. Analysts estimate that Russia also paid more than $600 million for the participation of North Korean soldiers.
It became known in October 2024 that North Korea had sent its troops to Russia. Russia confirmed this in April 2025. Yonhap, citing South Korean intelligence, reported that about 6,000 North Korean soldiers were killed or wounded.
In June 2025, Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu stated that Kim Jong Un had decided to send 1,000 sappers to Russia to clear mines in the Kursk region and 5,000 construction workers to rebuild destroyed facilities. In December of the same year, the sappers returned to North Korea.
At least 2,288 North Korean citizens were killed in battles against Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region — this number corresponds to names identified by journalists on new memorial columns in Pyongyang dedicated to the fallen.
The comprehensive strategic partnership treaty between Russia and North Korea was signed in June 2024 in Pyongyang by Russian leader Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. It includes a clause on military assistance in the event of aggression against either side. It was after this agreement that North Korean troops were sent to the front in the Kursk region, parts of which were then reportedly held by Ukrainian forces.
Some North Korean troops remain in Russia, although their active participation in combat is no longer reported. In addition, North Korea continues to supply Russia with weapons and ammunition.
