Wednesday, March 18, 2026 8:00:59 AM
South Korean analysts estimate that Russia may have sent North Korea billions of dollars in payment for troop deployments — undermining a key objective of sanctions imposed on Pyongyang: restricting its access to hard currency.
According to a report by the Institute for National Security Strategy (INSS), Pyongyang has dispatched military contingents at least four times since October 2024, with the total number of personnel surpassing 20,000. Between August 2023 and December 2025, revenues from arms exports and participation in the war may have ranged from $7.67 billion to $14.4 billion. Direct income from troop deployments, including salaries and death compensation, is estimated at $620 million per year, Korea JoongAng Daily reported.
“If North Korea is fully compensated for troop deployments and arms exports, the core economic effect of sanctions – reducing foreign currency inflows – will be undermined,” the report said.
The figures come from a recent report by Lim Soo-ho of the Institute for National Security Strategy on the economic impact of North Korean troop deployments and weapons exports to Russia.
In addition to sending soldiers, Kim Jong Un reportedly supplied Putin with around 33,000 containers of military goods, including weapons and ammunition, in support of Moscow’s war against Ukraine.
The volume of ammunition shipped may amount to more than 15 million 152mm artillery shells, according to the South Korean Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).
According to Ukrainian military intelligence, up to 8,000 North Korean troops remain in Russia’s Kursk region.
The author noted that confirmed compensation is limited to items detectable through open-source monitoring and satellite imagery, and that there is a strong possibility North Korea could receive additional compensation in the future in the form of secret military technologies, high-precision components and materials.
Earlier, it was reported that North Korea had sent “builder-soldiers” to Russia, allegedly to help restore infrastructure in border regions.
At the same time, North Korea has begun promoting the war in Ukraine as an honorable opportunity to become a “martyr” and attain “eternal life.”
(C)UNIAN 2026