North Korea Earns Hundreds of Billions in Revenue Amid Russia-Ukraine Conflict
A report by Bloomberg Economics analysis indicates that Western sanctions, originally intended to weaken Pyongyang's financial foundation, instead led to North Korea amassing $220 billion in foreign exchange earnings between 2022 and 2025—four times the amount earned in the previous four years. Under Kim Jong-un’s leadership for 15 years, North Korea has never before accumulated such vast funds, with its core revenue source being the supply of munitions needed for the Russia-Ukraine war to Russia.
Just military trade with Russian forces has generated over $140 billion in revenue for North Korea’s treasury, while the remaining $80 billion comes from trade with China, overseas labor services, information technology services, cybercrime, and various legal and illegal export activities.
Breakdown of military trade revenues: shells generated $91.2 billion, heavy artillery $23.8 billion, ballistic missiles $12.7 billion, and payments for sending troops to Russia amounted to $849 million. Ukrainian intelligence estimates that by the end of 2025, North Korea’s supply of standard 122mm and 152mm shells could meet up to 50% of Russian military operational needs.
Pyongyang has channeled this massive sum into nuclear weapons and ballistic missile development. In recent years, North Korea has launched large military vessels and comprehensively upgraded its ballistic missile arsenal.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1872949979896839/
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