North Korea is estimated to have earned up to $14.4 billion from its troop deployment to the Russia-Ukraine war and arms exports to Russia, a report showed Monday. The figures come from a recent report on the economic impact of North Korea's soldier dispatch and arms exports to Russia by Im Soo-ho at the Institute for National Security Strategy. "If North Korea fully collects payment for its troop deployments and arms exports, the key economic impact of sanctions, which is the reduction of hard currency earnings, is expected to be undermined," he said in the report. Pyongyang is believed to have sent troops deployments four times since October 2024, involving more than 20,000 North Korean soldiers. Even before the troop deployments, North Korea was spotted in satellite photos shipping various arms to Russia. From August 2023 to December last year, North Korea is estimated to have earned between $7.67 billion and $14.4 billion in hard currency, according to the report. Direct earnings from the troop deployment, including solider wages and death compensation, are estimated at $620 million. T