Supplies of 600-700 thousand tons of rice per year, payments of approximately $200 million, as well as access to space technologies – this, according to South Korean media, is what Russia will offer to North Korea in exchange for soldiers and military equipment to fight against Ukraine. The Kremlin may also offer military support to the Pyongyang regime in the event of an escalation of tension on the Korean Peninsula, writes The Korean Herald.
The newspaper emphasizes that although the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) assessed in a recent report that Pyongyang may lose more than gain by joining war in Ukraine on the side Russiaexperts have a different opinion. The Korean Herald quotes former South Korean ambassador to Russia Wi Sung Lak as saying that Russian aid will help North Korea alleviate the effects of the financial and food crisis.
President Vladimir Putin and the head of North Korean diplomacy Choe Son Hui in the Kremlin PAP/EPA
READ: Kim Jong Un's first soldiers “came under fire”
What will the regime gain?
From reports UN shows that North Korean citizens who work outside the country earn several dozen dollars a month, and the rest is taken by the government in Pyongyang.
The October NIS report shows that each North Korean soldier sent by Russia to the Ukrainian front will receive a monthly salary of about $2,000. This is definitely more than the average earnings of North Korean citizens working in Russia. On average, they receive $800 per month.
If Pyongyang sends at least 10,000 soldiers to the front, as estimated by intelligence in Seoul, it will give Kim Jong Un's regime an amount of $200 million.
According to Seoul information North Korea sent not only about 10,000 soldiers to the Ukrainian front, but also nearly 20,000 containers, which may mean over 9 million 152 mm bullets.
According to Wi Sung Lak, Russia is also to provide the authorities in Pyongyang with 600-700 thousand tons of rice annually, which will cover more than half of the shortages.
Moscow is also to help North Korea work on launching another military reconnaissance satellite. – It is known that North Korea fights for Russia. If war ever breaks out on the Korean Peninsula, Pyongyang can expect Moscow to come to its aid, Wi Sung Lak said.
Mutual defense pact
In June this year, the leaders of Russia and North Korea signed a mutual defense pact. The document assumes that in the event of an attack, the parties will provide each other with immediate military assistance.
Intelligence in Seoul estimates that Russia will treat North Korea as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the next US administration.
Main photo source: PAP/EPA