It’s clear what Russia would gain from the influx of nearly 10,000 North Korean troops to help its war in Ukraine.

What might be in this for Kim Jong Un is less clear.

“North Korea may be gaining experience in drone warfare and real combat experience in 21st century warfare,” said Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin. said our partner network NBC News.

“But that’s secondary to the strategic capabilities they can get from Russia, and I think that’s exactly the concern on the South Korean side.”

Western and South Korean officials have previously suggested that North Korea was paid through a variety of means, including resources, food and, in some cases, cash. However, as the war in Ukraine continued, relations between the two countries visibly deepened.

Kim’s visit to Russia’s Vostochny spaceport last summer, which paved the way for the supply of North Korean munitions, was met with speculation that Mr. Putin was exchanging valuable Russian knowledge of space technologies. In a successful nuclear program.

“I think the question of whether this actually happened is key,” Mr. Gabuev said.

“North Korea is trying to get as much benefit as possible from this relationship,” said Edward Howell, a North Korea expert at the Chatham House think tank.

“And now Russia has full and unwavering support in the UN Security Council, which is extremely beneficial for North Korea because it knows it can test missiles, provoke South Korea.

“He could even conduct a nuclear test and get away with it, because sanctions will not be imposed because of Russia’s veto power,” he said.

It also offers North Korea a testing ground for its own troops.

“If thousands of North Korean soldiers learned how to survive on a battlefield full of drones, that would be less of a problem than if North Korea had quieter nuclear-capable submarines,” Mr. Gabuev said.