The North Korean regime managed to stay afloat, but its survival strategy, heavily depending on labor extraction and repression, only further distorted the economy.

North Korea has shocked the world by sending not just ordinance, but soldiers beyond their borders to fight alongside their Russian allies. However, is this venture as successful as the two pariah states expected it to be?

North Korean assistance to Russia, in the form of ammunition, ballistic missiles, and the deployment of at least 12,000 soldiers, comes at a specific price. According to Admiral Samuel Paparo, the commander of US forces in the Pacific,

Pacific, stated that the Russians will transfer MiG-29 and Su-27 fighter jets to North Korea in exchange for military support in Ukraine. Pyongyang can also expect the transfer of ballistic missiles,