The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), one of the world’s most isolated and impoverished states, has emerged as an unexpected economic winner from Russia’s war against Ukraine. According to The Wall Street Journal, the Kim regime has used the conflict to monetize what it has in abundance – weapons, ammunition and manpower – in exchange for technology, materials and foreign currency.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. After shutting its borders during the Covid-19 pandemic, North Korea has since reopened to “only a select few outsiders, including Russian and Western travelers and diplomats.” At the core of this newly founded growth lies Pyongyang’s deepening military support for Moscow. North Korea has sent more than 15,000 troops to the Russian front lines, with roughly one-third killed or wounded. It has also supplied ammunition and other arms that South Korean analysts say have earned the regime billions of dollars. Those arms sales and deployments have helped secure energy and construction materials, allowing Kim Jong Un to launch a nationwide building boom and expand energy supplies despite UN sanctions. According to The Wall Street Journal report, North Korea’s economy grew nearly 4% in 2024 – the fastest pace in eight years, and it has only continued to grow, with satellite imagery showing the country three times brighter during the night than it was five years ago, especially around industrial regions.
North Korea Cashing In on Russia’s War – and Its Economy Shows It
North Korea’s once stagnant economy is booming due to arms sales and troop deployments for Russia’s war in Ukraine, with Pyongyang earning billions of dollars and then pouring it into growing its own economy.
506 words~2 min read
