Visitors to Mexico.
edit| Moshan spectator
In 2025, the world witnessed a reality that almost no one could predict: North Korea changed from "stealth aid to Russia" in the past to "full-body entry".
Not only did they provide ammunition, but they also sent troops to fight, and even publicly stated that they would "support Russia unconditionally." This is no longer a simple military cooperation, but a political bet and a desperate gesture.
What does North Korea want? How dare you do this? Behind this, there are both calculations, anger, and a strategic logic of "breaking the bridges and burning the boat".
North Korea ended up.
During the past year, relations between North Korea and Russia have not warmed up, but burned up directly.On April 28, 2024, the DPRK acknowledged for the first time that North Korean troops participated in operational missions in the Kursk region.
As soon as this news came out, the outside world, which had only relied on satellite images to speculate that North Korea would aid Russia, was directly slapped in the face. Then things developed faster.
In August 2024, the North Korean army was officially dispatched to the frontline to participate in real-world strike missions. According to the estimates of the South Korean military, at least 10,000 of these troops were fought with real-world guns.
Not only did it send people, but ammunition was also delivered to the Russian army by a car. The Wall Street Journal quoted South American intelligence as saying that North Korea could provide up to 12 million cannons, accounting for 60 percent of the Russian army's consumption on the front.
Although this number remains to be further confirmed, even if it is cut in half, North Korea is also the most important part of the Russian military logistics system, and the Russian Defense Minister openly thanked North Korea for its military aid, which is the first time since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war that it has explicitly recognized third-country military aid.
What is even more remarkable is that North Korea also sent engineering and military engineering units to participate in the post-war reconstruction of the Russian-controlled zone, with more than 6000 people.
This is not symbolic participation, but systematic intervention. From front-line artillery shells to rear reconstruction, North Korea is no longer a bystander in this war, but a co-combatant.
Kim Jong-un personally welcomed the remains of fallen soldiers during the war and awarded medals and mourned them. This high-standard operation sends a clear signal: this war is not just to help Russia fight, but North Korea itself also believes that it must win.
What is North Korea?
In doing so, North Korea is not stupid, but it is very clear. The first is technology. The most direct dividend of the warming of Russia-DPRK relations is military-industrial cooperation. In September 2023, when Kim Jong Un visited Russia, Putin personally promised to help North Korea develop satellite technology.
In 2025, North Korea launched its first military reconnaissance satellite and made a high-profile announcement that it had the ability to "monitor US military bases around the world in real time." This technology can't be done by ourselves for ten years, but it can be done in two years with Russia's support.
Under Western sanctions, North Korea lacks the most food and oil.Russia can give, and does not give.
North Korea returned stable supplies of energy and food by providing cannons and soldiers, which directly eased domestic livelihood pressures.
More importantly, it is a diplomatic breakthrough. North Korea has been isolated by the international community for a long time, and the United Nations has imposed sanctions layer by layer. But now, Russia not only does not avoid suspicion, but has also signed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, which clearly states military mutual assistance.
This is already a military alliance in fact.In the international order, there is a voice that stands and stands.North Korea has won Russia, that is, it wants to use this war to make itself a “core member of the anti-Western camp.”
This is not only for the current income, but also for the future. Russia is looking for more than ammunition. What it lacks is people, controllable peripheral combat power, and a "showstopper" that can hold back the United States, Japan and South Korea.
North Korea meets these conditions. Relying on the North Korean army to consume Ukrainian troops on the battlefield and North Korea to stir up the situation in Northeast Asia, Russia can concentrate more troops on Ukraine and use North Korea to divert the attention of the West.
North Korea is betting.
This is not a momentary heat, but a thorough strategic shift. North Korea’s past was a “closed-style survival”: relying on nuclear weapons, relying on underground economy.
International isolation is becoming more and more serious, the internal economic circulation is unsustainable, and the deterrent effect brought by nuclear tests is also weakening. Kim Jong-un knows that if he doesn't take the initiative, the country will fall into long-term stagnation, and even the stability of the regime will be affected.
So North Korea’s change of strategy is no longer defense but attack, not waiting for others to talk, but giving themselves space with practical actions.
Standing together with Russia is the first step in North Korea’s proactive assault.Supporting the Russian-Ukrainian war is using war to exchange technology, exchange resources, and exchange speech.
Although the risk is not small, for North Korea, the existing sanctions pressure has bottomed out, and the benefits brought by cooperation have become the only "increment".
North Korea does not intend to rely solely on Russia.In the second half of 2025, there will be more interaction between North Korea and Iran, with new dynamics in missile technology and oil and gas cooperation.
This suggests that Pyongyang is not satisfied with being Russia’s little brother, it is what it has to do with the anti-Western coalition’s “Eastern Asian branches.”
Of course, this gambling comes at a cost. The United States, Japan and South Korea are conducting trilateral military exercises in full swing. South Korea has hit a defense budget with its highest level in history. The United States has deployed more anti-missile systems in Japan and South Korea. North Korea is facing greater military pressure. But Kim Jong-un has clearly made up his mind: no matter how much pressure is, it is better than sitting still.
conclusion
North Korea has launched ammunition to support Russia, not for whom, but for its own sake.This war is all about its competition for technology, resources and status.
North Korea's posture now is very clear: it doesn't intend to be a marginal person anymore, but it wants to turn over and play a leading role on the international stage.
This is not a short-term transaction, but a strategic siding. In the future, it is likely to form a closer cooperation network with Iran, Syria and other countries, stirring up the whole anti-Western camp. The more turbulent the situation is, the higher the value of North Korea.
From a “sanctioned” to a “disruptor”, North Korea has taken a dangerous but decisive step. The crackdown in the global order is no longer just a geological question, but a big test of how a small country can save itself.
Source of information:
North Korea Confirms Russia's Assistance to Recover Kursk