THE NORTH KOREAN END OF THE BARGAIN
The North Korean end of the bargain is better, if it does get a technological assist from Russia. A lengthy stalemate also sends home a nice monthly “stipend”, paid to the government not the soldiers. They will likely receive fraction of their earnings, if they make it back at all.
Russia has used foreigners and prisoners for its human wave attacks, what the Ukrainians call “meat assaults”. Russia’s casualties in the war have been enormous; Western estimates suggest over 1,000 per day just this past September. Russian generals continue to treat the war as a question of quantity, which helped power the Soviet Union to victory in World War II.
The North Koreans are expected to be forced into this meat grinder, with grave consequences probably promised for those considering desertion or defection.
But this is likely irrelevant to Kim and Putin, who are ideologically alike. Both deeply resent Western power and America’s forward basing in their regions. Both are also wary of over-dependence on China, which does not fully support their revisionist, anti-Western goals. This is an alliance of convenience, but one that especially benefits North Korea, the weaker partner.