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North Korea Could Get a Lifeline From Arms Sales to Russia

  • Even a modest arms transfer would boost Kim Jong Un’s economy
  • Artillery is one thing the impoverished state has in abundance
A military parade on Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang, North Korea. 

A military parade on Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang, North Korea. 

Photographer: Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images

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Russia’s hunt for weapons to fire at Ukraine could provide a lifeline for North Korea, where even a relatively modest arms deal would help lift the country’s cash-starved and stagnant economy into growth.

The US made fresh accusations this month that Kim Jong Un is providing arms and ammunition to aid Putin’s war, including sending shells and rockets. While the Biden administration said the weapons won’t do much to alter the battlefield, the sales would open a new stream of revenue to a country isolated from much of world trade.