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North Korea earned half of its GDP from supporting Russia's war against Ukraine
Over three years, North Korea received from Russia an amount equal to half of the country’s annual GDP in exchange for weapons and troops.
Ukrainska Pravda
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North Korea has earned up to US$14 billion over three years by supplying weapons and sending military personnel to assist Russia in its war against Ukraine.
Details: According to the Bank of Korea, North Korea's economic growth reached 3.7% in 2024 – the highest level in eight years. Following this growth, North Korea's GDP stood at around US$26.6 billion.
Around 10,000 North Korean special forces troops are reportedly deployed on the front line in Ukraine, alongside thousands of engineers and hundreds of drone operators. There are also plans to send an additional 30,000 soldiers.
North Korean personnel reportedly receive around US$2,000 per month, while the families of those killed in action may receive compensation payments and elite housing in Pyongyang.
North Korea has also supplied Russia with KN-23 ballistic missiles, artillery shells and multiple-launch rocket systems.
In return for military assistance, North Korea has received foreign currency, energy resources, food supplies and military technology from Russia.
The report notes that this undermines the effectiveness of global economic sanctions imposed on North Korea in 2016 over its nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches.
Nam Jin-wook of the Korea Development Institute warned that increased military supplies to Russia could trigger long-term changes in North Korea's industrial structure and technological capabilities.
Rapid growth in the defence industry and improved energy supplies are already having a positive impact on living conditions in the North Korean capital. Witnesses say that the number of expensive cars on the streets increased noticeably in 2025 compared with previous years.
The report also notes that Japan and South Korea used wartime demand as a driver of economic growth after World War II.
Background:
In February 2024, Russia partially unfroze North Korean assets that had been frozen under UN sanctions in a Russian bank and likely gave Pyongyang access to the international financial system in exchange for weapons for the war against Ukraine.
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