North Korea Earned Over $10 Billion Supplying Weapons and Troops to Russia in Ukraine War
North Korea has earned more than $10 billion by providing weapons and troops to Russia in the Ukraine war. In 2024, North Korea’s economic growth rate reached 3.7 percent, with rapid construction of physical infrastructure underway in the capital, Pyongyang. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has enforced strict laws imposing the death penalty on citizens caught watching or distributing South Korean entertainment content. In 2020, during the global pandemic, Kim appeared on national television in tears, stating, “My efforts and sincerity have not been enough to alleviate the hardships faced by our people.”
Many interpreted Kim’s statement as a signal of the potential end of his regime, but today, at age 42, he is considered more powerful than his father and grandfather. He has elevated North Korea to the status of a genuine nuclear power. The country has signed a military treaty with Russia and revitalized its relationship with China. What occurred inside North Korea during the COVID pandemic remained largely unknown externally. Kim Il-hyok from Hwanghae Province noted an unusually high number of deaths among neighbors. Rice was confiscated and sent to Pyongyang’s elite and military.
Kim closed the border with China completely and ordered troops to shoot North Koreans attempting to cross, effectively halting trade and smuggling. He planned to dismantle the informal market system that had emerged after the 1990s famine, destroying these markets and re-establishing the state’s monopoly over the economy and ideology. According to Kim Yu-mi, in 2010, artillery shelling occurred between the two Koreas in her coastal city.
When Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, North Korea publicly supported it. The country supplied Russia with weapons and troops. According to a think tank in Seoul, from summer 2023 until the end of last year, North Korea earned over $10 billion from arms sales. Kim also increased revenue by deploying thousands of hackers and computer engineers in online scams. His harsh repression resulted in significant personal suffering among the population.
Kim Jong-un assumed power with different priorities than his father. He conducted about 90 ballistic missile tests and four nuclear explosions. Kim traveled to Beijing aboard his armored train, marking the start of a cautious recalibration in relations. For Kim, China remains an economically indispensable partner. During his recent visit, Chinese President Xi Jinping told Kim he is ready to work together to bring their relationship to new heights.
