North Korea and Russia deepen economic ties amid conflict
North Korean state media reported on Thursday that representatives of North Korean and Russian authorities signed a protocol to expand economic cooperation. This is another indication of strengthening relations between the regimes.
The North Korean agency KCNA did not provide detailed information about the agreements signed on Wednesday in Pyongyang by North Korea’s Minister of External Economic Relations, Jun Jong Ho, and Russia’s Minister of Natural Resources, Alexander Kozlov.
Russian media reports that the countries have agreed to increase the number of direct charter flights from eastern regions and larger Russian cities.
Currently, only one flight route is operated between Vladivostok and Pyongyang. From January to September, the number of tourists between the two countries reached 5,000, with over 70 percent travelling by plane.
Pyongyang and Moscow have intensified diplomatic and economic contacts over the past few years, particularly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea in June, where he and Kim Jong Un signed a mutual defence pact.
10,000 North Korean soldiers in Putin's war
According to South Korean and U.S. intelligence services, more than 10,000 North Korean soldiers deployed in Russia are participating in combat against Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region, near the border with Ukraine. Pyongyang also supplies Moscow with conventional weapons, including missiles and artillery systems.
Despite seemingly good economic indicators, the Russian war economy faces serious challenges. According to analyses by the weekly The Economist, high defence expenditures and rising interest rates could lead to a collapse as early as the second half of 2025.
