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Putin and Kim Jong-un recently concluded a defense agreement. The North Korean ruler reportedly wants to send pioneers to Ukraine in early July.
MOSCOW/PYONGYANG – North Korea’s military aid for the Ukraine war will arrive faster than expected after Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un signed a new defense pact on June 19. A South Korean news channel reports that the first military advance troops will arrive in the Russian-controlled Donetsk People’s Republic in early July. TV Sosan citing government sources.
Article 4 of the deal Kremlin ruler Putin struck with his Asian autocrat friend obliges North Korean news agencies. KCNA According to this, in the event of war, both sides must use all means to provide military and other support. A South Korean government official said TV Sosan On the purported purpose of the upcoming deployment: “The purpose is to protect the war-torn city [Donezk, Red.] To rebuild.”
North Korea to send troops to Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine
Shortly after North Korea recognized the independence of the Donetsk People’s Republic in July 2022, its ambassador to Russia held official talks with representatives of the Donbass separatists. He announced his country’s basic willingness to send workers for reconstruction in occupied eastern Ukraine. Difference: No mention of military personnel.
As then, monetary incentives will be critical to Kim Jong-un’s potential involvement in Ukraine today. According to a news portal specializing in North Korea NK News The average monthly salary in the dictatorship is 5-10,000 North Korean won. It corresponds to five to ten euros. Deployment promises to Ukraine are high: “Soldiers in deployed engineer units earn about $800 per month,” a South Korean government official told us. TV Sosan.
Little remains of the wages, which are high by North Korean standards
One might think that this is a situation similar to that in Russia, where Putin is pulling forward low-paid provincial citizens from Krasnoyarsk or Dagestan with relatively princely military salaries in Ukraine. However, according to North Korean standards, veterans’ salaries, which are too high, should not be held by the soldiers, but collected by the state.
It’s a well-known practice because “from a North Korean perspective, it’s a way to earn foreign exchange,” the South Korean government official continued. Foreign exchange is monetary reserves in foreign currencies, the amount of which indicates the economic strength of a country. Plus, it’s so important to Kim that it can be used to pay for foreign imports.
Kim Jong-un exports workers and soldiers to earn foreign currency
Normally, North Korea receives foreign currency in exchange for its exports. According to the German Foreign Trade Agency (GTAI). China Between 2016 and 2022 it will be the largest trading partner and foreign exchange supplier. As extensive sanctions prohibit many countries in the Western world from trading with the dictatorship, dictator Kim sends his country’s citizens to work abroad – and collects much of their wages in foreign currency.
In the past, such imported workers were employed in countries such as the Czech Republic and Poland, and a new sanctions regime in 2017 required UN member states to expel all North Korean workers on their soil. In China, however, violent protests by North Korean workers last January alone left one dead and three seriously injured. In addition to poor working conditions, the practice of sending their salaries directly to the Kim Party in Pyongyang without their knowledge is said to be to blame.
UN Security Council: 100,000 North Koreans Working for Kim Abroad
UN A panel of experts attached to the Security Council estimates that by 2023 there will be around 100,000 North Koreans working in 40 countries, bringing in around $500 million for the regime. Radio Free Asia Citing anonymous sources, Russia and China already have tens of thousands of workers from North Korea.
The alleged deployment of military vanguards to the Russian-controlled separatist republic of Donetsk represents the latest stage in the development of this business model. An example of Qatar building buildings for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The latest security deal with Putin now gives Kim the chance to openly manage whatever he does.
Contrary to reports that North Korean troops have been sent to Ukraine Emphasizes the non-profit research organization “Institute for the Study of War”. (ISW), however: “There is currently no evidence to support recent reports that North Korea may send technical forces into occupied Ukrainian territories.”
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