Since North Korea went all-in on supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine, sending weapons and even troops, US officials have been speculating what it could be receiving in return.
Last week, two top US military leaders in the Indo-Pacific region suggested that support could mean a host of potential wins for Pyongyang, from military capabilities to sidestepping sanctions.
At a US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the challenges and threats in the Indo-Pacific region, North Korea, Russia, and China were important topics of concern, particularly the deepening relationship between Pyongyang and Moscow.
The strategic partnership between the two countries, US Army Gen. Xavier Brunson, Commander of United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and US Forces Korea, said in his opening statement, has significantly shifted the status of the theater.
The relationship has presented new opportunities for North Korea to circumvent international sanctions, fill gaps in its military, and pursue a new status on the world stage.
That includes a share “of space, nuclear, and missile-applicable technology, expertise, and materials” from Russia, the general added, some of which will enable advancements in North Korea’s arsenal over the next few years.
North Korea’s nuclear forces have already been improving. The country has developed new intercontinental ballistic missiles for its nuclear warheads. Further support will only accelerate advancements.
Other expected gains, Brunson and US Navy Adm. Samuel Paparo, the leader of US Indo-Pacific Command, said, include air assets, surface-to-air missiles, and submarine technologies.
These would be in addition to the valuable experience in modern war North Korea is receiving, as well as critical intelligence on how its weapons and troops perform in battle. North Korea’s heavy artillery and tactical ballistic missiles have seen use in Russia’s brutal conflict against the Ukrainians.
The South Korea Institute for Defense Analyses recently presented new research indicating that Pyongyang may also be receiving billions of dollars for its part in the war.
Potential North Korean gains from its involvement are part of a significantly larger “transactional symbiosis” between North Korea, Russia, and China, Paparo said, “where each state fulfills the other state’s weaknesses to mutual benefit of each state.”
In China’s case, it provides support for Moscow and potentially receives help with its submarine program, which would be important in a maritime conflict in the Pacific with the US Navy.
“China has provided 70 percent of the machine tools and 90 percent of the legacy chips that have enabled Russia to rebuild its war machine,” the Indo-Pacific commander said. “And then coming back to China is potentially submarine quieting help, as well as other help in some of the areas where Russia is strong.”
Neither Beijing nor Moscow’s embassies in the US immediately responded to Business Insider’s request for comment.
Ukraine imposed sanctions on several Chinese companies on Friday for supporting Russia in the making of Iskander missiles. A day earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy alleged that China was supplying Russia with weapons.
China and Russia have been building a partnership against the West, particularly the US, for years now, strengthening military ties.
North Korea and Russia formalized their emerging partnership last year through a mutual defense pact and Pyongyang’s offer to deploy thousands of combat troops to fight alongside Moscow’s forces in Kursk. Those soldiers, some of North Korea’s better forces, have seen massive losses in combat.
Prior to the deployment, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin met for apparent discussions on an arms deal. Intelligence indicates Russia received thousands of artillery shells and missiles from North Korea.
The arms agreement has caused concern in the US and South Korea. Seoul had been sending Ukraine artillery indirectly through the US, which effectively put both North Korea and South Korea on opposite sides of the war.
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