In 2024, one issue dominated North Korea’s agenda more than any other — bilateral ties with Russia — and the numbers prove it.

DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin formed a de facto defense alliance when they signed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty in June, and the North Korean artillery and ballistic missiles that rained down on Ukrainian cities — as well as thousands of troops that joined the fight in Kursk — underscored that this was not just an alliance on paper.

But their cooperation also extended beyond defense, as delegation visits and