North Korea, according to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement with Russia, may request its support in the event of a possible conflict with South Korea. This was reported by the Korea Herald, citing a statement by Wi Seong-lak, a member of the Intelligence Committee of the South Korean parliament. In a conversation with journalists, he emphasized that, given the current relations between the DPRK and Russia, Pyongyang can probably expect military assistance from Moscow in the event of an escalation of the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
According to Wi Song-lak, North Korea is not only strengthening political and military ties with Russia, but also receiving significant economic benefits from sending its troops to Russian territory. It is reported that the DPRK could receive around $200 million for sending North Korean troops to Russia, however, there is no evidence of this at the moment.
Russia's economic support also extends to food supplies. According to Wi, the DPRK needs about 5 million tons of grain annually to meet its domestic needs, while its own production is about 4 million tons. The deficit in food supplies is thus covered by imports, and Russia could probably increase the volume of supplies to 600 tons of rice.