North Korea is believed to receive cash, food and space technology from Russia as compensation for entering the war on its side, The Korea Herald newspaper reported Nov. 3, citing a lawmaker familiar with the matter.

North Korea It has reportedly sent between 10,000 and 12,000 troops to Russia, with the first soldiers supposedly already being under fire in the Kursk region.

North Korean soldiers are believed to receive $2,000 a month from Russia for their service, totaling at least $200 million a year when calculated among 10,000 soldiers, Wi Sung-lac, a member of the South Korean parliamentary intelligence committee, said The Korean Herald.

Moscow is also believed to have helped alleviate food shortages in North Korea, the lawmaker said, citing intelligence reports.

“The 4 million tons of grain that North Korea claims to produce a year is actually about 1 million tons less than it needs to feed the country. If Russia offers 600,000 to 700,000 tons of rice, that is enough for cover more than half of what North Korea would need to meet demand for the year,” the Herald quoted the lawmaker as saying.

According to The Korea Herald, South Korean intelligence believes that Russia is also helping North Korea with advanced space technology, which will allow Pyongyang to launch another military reconnaissance satellite.

Moscow plans form At least five units of between 2,000 and 3,000 personnel are manned by North Korean troops, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, said on October 30. They would be equipped with Russian uniforms and weapons and integrated into formations with ethnic minorities from the far reaches of Russia. Eastern regions to hide their presence.

Some 8,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to Russia’s Kursk Oblast to participate in the war against Ukraine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a press conference on October 31.

China was well aware of North Korean troop deployment beforehand, expert says

Beijing was quick to claim it had no knowledge of Russia’s growing partnership with North Korea. The United States seized the opportunity, hoping to pressure China to deter North Korea from taking an active part in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Observers, however, remain skeptical about Chi…