Russia has provided North Korea with oil, anti-air missiles and financial support in return for the troops it sent to support Moscow’s war against Ukraine, government officials said on Friday. The US and South Korea have claimed that North Korea has sent more than 10,000 troops to Russia to fight Ukraine, while experts say Kim Jong-un is keen to gain advanced technology and combat experience for his army in return.
South Korea’s top security adviser, Shin Won-sik, has confirmed that North Korea has sent anti-aircraft missiles to Korea in return for military deployment and financial support as well as necessary equipment to strengthen the air defense system. In the last eight months, more than a dozen North Korean oil tankers have traveled 43 times to the oil terminal in the port of Russia, according to the satellite images, BBC reported.
Quoting British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, the report said oil weapons and missiles were being paid for by troops sent to Moscow. North Korean leader Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a strategic partnership treaty during the Kremlin chief’s visit last June.
It opened the way for both states to provide military aid in the event of an attack on the other, and for international cooperation to oppose Western sanctions. According to analysts, in exchange for soldiers, Russia may also give North Korea access to other natural resources such as oil and gas. North Korean Foreign Minister Cho Son Hui recently visited Moscow and said that his country “will stand firmly with Russian comrades until Victory Day.”
