Since February 2022, the Russian Federation has purchased up to $5.5B worth of North Korean weapons, analysts have discovered. Russia is trying to use cooperation with North Korea as a lever of influence on the countries of East Asia. Additional pressure is created on South Korea and Japan, which contributes to changing the regional balance of power in the Russian Federation’s favor. However, the longevity of the agreement between the countries raises serious doubts, and signficantly, such cooperation could spoil Moscow’s relations with China.
As the FT notes, Beijing fears that North Korea’s military cooperation with Russia will upset the regional balance and that it could even force China to defend North Korea in the event of a military conflict.
Meanwhile, North Korea plans to send even more troops to Russia.
The NYT reported that thousands of North Korean soldiers are arriving en masse in the Kursk region in an effort to dislodge units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has also confirmed this information.