That's the price what Moscow and the Kremlin pay for North Korean soldiers and weapons used in the conflict in Ukraine. This information was published by South Korea's Korea Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS).
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“If North Korea receives full compensation for its participation in the war and its arms exports, it will undermine a key effect of the sanctions: reducing the hard currency earnings of those who support the war,” the INSS report notes.
Military contingents and arms shipments
According to a study prepared by Im Soo-ho of INSS, Pyongyang has sent military contingents to Russia at least four times since October 2024. The total number of North Korean soldiers in the conflict exceeded 20,000. people.
What's more, in the period from August 2023 to December 2025, revenues from arms exports and participation in the Russian war could have brought dictator Kim Jong Un between $7.67 and $14.4 billion. Direct revenues from the shipment of soldiers – including salaries and compensation for the fallen and disabled – are estimated at $620 million. annually.
The report notes that the data is based solely on open sourcesand Pyongyang likely also receives additional rewards in the form of Russian military technology, precision components and materials that are difficult to document.
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Impact on North Korea's economy
Revenues from Russian military cooperation have a significant impact on North Korea's economy.
According to the Bank of South Korea, in 2024, North Korea's GDP increased by 3.7 percent, mainly due to closer economic cooperation with Russia and increased military production – this is the highest increase since 2016. Official data from the Pyongyang government is not published.
Armament delivered to Russia
The South Korean Defense Intelligence Agency reports that Pyongyang transferred more than 12 million rounds of ammunition to the Russian army during the conflict in Ukraine. Russia received long-range artillery, multiple rocket launchers, mortars, ballistic missiles and cluster ammunition for the Grad launchers.
In June 2025, information appeared that North Korea had started building a large arms plant that would supply equipment exclusively for the needs of the Russian army.
