"Up to 8 trillion won worth of North Korean weapons delivered to Russia after the outbreak of the Ukra War"

A German think tank has reported that the amount of weapons North Korea has delivered to Russia since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine is estimated to be worth up to 8 trillion won.

According to the DPA news agency on the 28th, Germany's Friedrich Nauman Foundation predicted in its report "Putin's Partner" that the amount of weapons North Korea supplied to Russia after the war in Ukraine began in February 2022 would reach $1.7 billion to $5.5 billion (about 2.4 trillion to 7.6 trillion won).

The report compiled estimates based on various intelligence reports, leaked documents, and ammunition prices in North Korea's previous arms deals.

The DPA said North Korea does not disclose data on arms exports, making it virtually impossible to estimate accurately, adding that according to South Korea's intelligence agency, North Korea mainly provides Russian troops with artillery shells and short-range missiles.

In addition, the report estimated that up to 20,000 North Korean troops could be sent to Russia.According to the

report, "Even according to conservative calculations, Kim Jong-un could potentially accumulate additional annual income of $143 million to $572 million (about KRW 197.9 billion to KRW 791.7 billion) if he puts in 50 to 20,000 personnel to support Russia's war."

"Apart from the monetary benefits, the North Korean regime may be equally interested in gaining real combat experience to study modern warfare and securing access to Western weapons," he added.

As North Korea and Russia strengthen their close ties, official trade between the two countries has also increased significantly.According to the

report, the trading volume of both countries in the first half of this year was $52.9 million (about 73.2 billion won), which has already exceeded the total trading volume of last year (34.4 million dollars, about 47.6 billion won).

The trend suggests that annual trade volumes between the two countries are likely to recover to levels before 2017 U.N. sanctions, the report noted.

Since July last year, official high-level meetings between the two countries have been held on average twice a month as diplomacy between the two countries has been activated, and more than 20 times have been held this year alone.

On the other hand, in the previous 30 years, it was usually customary to hold it five times a year, the report added.The

report also pointed out that Russia is turning to North Korea because it needs a large amount of ammunition, but there is also another paving stone.

"Russia is using relations with North Korea and potential military technology transfers as a tool to test the solidarity of Western alliances, especially in East Asia," he said. "Russia aims to pressure countries such as South Korea and Japan to reconsider their support for Ukraine."

However, considering that North Korea is still an unpredictable partner and the risk of straining relations between Russia and China if North Korea acts provocative, "Russia's strategy has its limits," he added.