Maroc - ENG.UATV.UA - A La Une - 28/Jul 11:46

North Korea’s GDP grows at record pace on Kremlin resources – review

Russia has become a donor for the DPRK economy. Bloomberg writes that North Korea's gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 3% in 2023: production of iron, steel, copper, nickel and aluminum increased. This allows Pyongyang to produce more weapons, ammunition and supply them to Moscow, FREEDOM reports. North Korea has sent dozens of ballistic missiles and 5 million shells to Russia, said South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik. The White House claims that the DPRK has been supplying weapons to Russia since September 2022. In exchange for ammunition and missiles, Moscow shares oil, food and military technology with Pyongyang. “There are concerns that North Korea may ask for help in developing nuclear weapons, space technology and modernizing conventional weapons, thereby strengthening its military potential,” South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik said in an interview with the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun. The quality of artillery shells that North Korea supplies to Russia is questionable. The Moscow Times writes that the Russian military criticizes North Korean weapons. Their biggest complaints are about the quality and quantity of gunpowder in the ammunition. Such shells are most often used in situations where shooting accuracy is not important. “This is a story about cheap and cheerful. It does not pretend to be technologically advanced, quality, accuracy of hits - all these parameters that are among the main ones for most weapons systems. But North Korean weapons are very cheap, accessible, and there is a lot of them,” comments Taras Zhovtenko, an expert on international security at the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation. North Korea has been under tough international sanctions for decades. However, thanks to Russian military orders, Pyongyang has revived its economy. According to Bloomberg, in 2023, North Korea's GDP increased by more than 3% compared to 2022. This is the largest increase since 2016. “Economic growth was led by the heavy and chemical industries, which increased by 8.1% compared to the previous year. Although the report does not say whether these industries are engaged in weapons production, it notes an increase in the production of primary metals, which include iron, steel, copper, nickel and aluminum,” writes Bloomberg. Cooperation with the Russian Federation opens up opportunities for the DPRK to modernize its military-industrial complex, experts believe. “By implementing such cooperation with the Russian Federation, North Korea receives additional opportunities for improving its own technological potential. Suppose the North Koreans analyze the situation with arms supplies to Russia and the quality of these weapons. In that case, they have a chance to modernize their production, the military-industrial complex, to produce, roughly speaking, less defective goods,” explains Taras Zhovtenko, an expert on international security at the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation. Hackers from North Korea have attacked or broken into the computer systems of various defense and engineering companies, including manufacturers of tanks, submarines, warships, fighter jets, as well as missile and radar systems. This is stated in a report by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, the US National Security Agency, the UK National Cyber ​​Security Center and the National Intelligence Service of South Korea. The authors of the document emphasize that this global cyber espionage operation shows what North Korea is ready to do to implement its military and nuclear programs. Read also: Arms trade with Russia resuscitates North Korea’s economy Earlier, Russian opposition journalist, former State Duma deputy Igor Yakovenko said that the Kremlin boss is building an axis of dictatorial terrorist regimes that are directed against the US, Ukraine and the entire Western world. At the same time, he noted that sanctions will not stop Russia, Iran, or North Korea. Because these countries have long been under sanctions. It has become a normal occurrence for them. The post North Korea’s GDP grows at record pace on Kremlin resources – review appeared first on Freedom.