South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) reported North Korea had sent 12,000 troops to support Russia’s war in Ukraine. Reports also indicate that these soldiers deployed in Russia allegedly receive monthly salaries of around $2,000.
On Monday, CNN and Germany’s Deutsche Welle (DW) revealed that foreign soldiers hired by Russia earn salaries that range from $2,000 to $3,000.
Russian soldiers earn a similar amount of 200,000 Rubles (approximately $2,070) each month.
While this may seem like a large sum for North Koreans, considering the deposit the soldiers had to pay to the regime, they are in a situation where they are on the battlefield without proper pay.
Although the specific conditions under which North Korea and Russia signed the deployment contract remain unclear, the treatment of the deployed North Korean troops can be estimated by examining how Russia has treated foreign recruits in the past. Foreign soldiers receive significantly fewer bonuses than Russian nationals when they first enlist. A soldier from Sri Lanka reportedly received a one-time payment of $2,000, while Russian soldiers received as much as 1.9 million rubles in bonuses, creating a disparity of about tenfold.
North Korean soldiers are believed to be similarly underpaid, receiving around $2,000 per month, along with minimal bonuses. Much of their income is likely being funneled back to the North Korean government, mirroring the experience of other overseas North Korean workers. According to defectors’ testimonies included in the 2024 North Korea Human Rights Report, these workers are often forced to surrender more than 70% of their earnings despite enduring grueling conditions.
In the event of casualties, it is uncertain whether North Korean soldiers will receive the same compensation as Russian soldiers. Military media outlet War on the Rocks has reported that when Nepalese soldiers died in combat, Russian authorities informed their families by phone without providing compensation. This practice of avoiding compensation payments is a crucial reason Russia increasingly employs foreign soldiers.
Currently, most foreign soldiers employed by Russia come from economically disadvantaged nations. Petro Yatsenko, who oversees Ukrainian prisoners of war, noted that around ten foreign mercenaries from countries like Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Cuba are currently held as POWs in Ukraine. This trend highlights how Russia leverages economic hardships in other countries to bolster its military forces with foreign recruits.
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