North Korea generated over $20B from Russia-Ukraine war: Report

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ISTANBUL (AA) — North Korea has generated more than $20 billion from its involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war, according to a report published by a South Korean think tank.

The South Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA) outlined in the report the potential significance of North Korea’s military cooperation with Moscow in the Russia-Ukraine war, Newsweek reported on Wednesday.

The report claimed that Pyongyang's cooperation with Moscow is assisting North Korea in obtaining advanced weaponry to strengthen its military capabilities.

It stated that the majority of North Korea's economic gains have come from supplying munitions to Russia, but it has also profited from sending thousands of troops to fight in Ukraine and providing technical assistance.

Earlier on Wednesday, NK News reported that Russia issued nearly 10,000 visas for North Korean nationals last year, nearly all through Moscow's embassy in Pyongyang.

South Korean ruling People Power Party lawmaker Yu Yong-weon earlier said Ukraine estimated the casualties of North Korean soldiers were at around 4,000, with 10% of them presumed dead, while South Korea estimates around 3,600 amid the ongoing Moscow-Kyiv war.

In January, the South Korean National Intelligence Service claimed that at least 300 North Korean soldiers were killed and 2,700 were injured in combat with Ukraine.

In October last year, the Pentagon said that North Korea sent around 10,000 troops to eastern Russia.

Pyongyang has so far maintained silence even after reports of alleged deaths and injuries among its troops in Russia.