"As China responds to President Trump's call to pressure North Korea to curb its rogue weapons programs, Russia has stepped in to help the hermit nation stay connected to the rest of the world."
"Russia and North Korea have reached a labor immigration agreement to expand a program that already employs 40,000 North Korean laborers in Russia’s timber and construction industries, a major source of foreign currency for Kim Jong Un’s government."
"Also, note that trade between Russia and North Korea increased by 73% during the first two months of 2017 compared to the same period the year before."
"And while Russia’s trade with North Korea appears to be rising, at $130 million annually it is still tiny compared to China’s $6.6 billion in annual trade, Noland said."
"Even so, Russia could cause mischief in North Korea for the U.S. and its northeast Asian allies South Korea and Japan, Noland said. “Yes, it is plausible that Russia will try to increase trade to increase its geopolitical influence.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/06/05/russia-boosts-trade-north-korea-china-cuts/102389824/
Note: "The North Korean currency, the won, has been stable so whatever is going on is not having a big effect."
Note: China and Russia both hire tens of thousands of North Koreans slaves that provide N. Korea with hundreds of millions and millions of hard cash. Both China and Russia are profiting from corrupt practices such as this while enabling North Korea's offensive weapon development while saying that they want to stop such.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/rex-tillerson-blasts-china-for-hiring-slaves-from-north-korean-government/article/2627249
