North Korea collected between $7 billion and $13.8 billion from Russia for weapons and troops supporting Moscow’s Ukraine invasion, South Korean intelligence estimates reported by Nikkei Asia on May 11 show.
The transfers, spanning August 2023 through December 2025, included more than 33,000 containers of military supplies, equivalent to over 15 million 152mm artillery shells, and approximately 250 KN-23 short-range ballistic missiles, South Korea’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) reported.
Russia is not compensating Pyongyang in cash alone. Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) chief Kyrylo Budanov said in June 2025 that Moscow significantly upgraded the KN-23’s guidance systems after the initial batch performed poorly in combat, making the missiles capable of striking with “deadly accuracy.”
Budanov also disclosed that Russia and North Korea agreed to establish production facilities for Geran-type attack drones, Russia’s variant of the Iranian Shahed-136, on North Korean territory. “It will for sure bring changes in the military balance in the region between North Korea and South Korea,” Budanov told The War Zone.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry said in April 2026 that North Korea’s economy had entered a recovery phase, driven by arms revenue and closer ties with China. South Korean analysts estimated gross domestic product (GDP) grew 3.7% in 2024, the highest growth rate since 2016. Nam Jin Wook of the Korea Development Institute, a South Korean government think tank, said the defense sector’s expansion could permanently reshape North Korea’s industrial structure.
An estimated 14,000 North Korean troops have deployed to Russia in total, including 3,000 reinforcements. Another 10,000 engineers and drone operators are providing support near the front line. South Korean intelligence estimated approximately 6,000 had been killed or wounded as of February 2026.
