[Old Teufel Hunden]

"It is not as if they make a lot of money by dealing with N. Korea. This is purely political."

Overall, they are probably losing money with the Koreans in their relationship. That said, you are right this is purely political. I know that Vladivostok is close, but I don't think they deal with North Korea that much. Even if they are still trading with them I think having China cut them off will still be devastating and the Ruskies can't make up for the loss of Chinese trade.

[OldGuard1]

The DPRK isn’t stupid when it comes to these things; they’ve pulled off complex international bank heists, drug and weapons smuggling into China which China hates, etc. If you think they can’t route smuggled goods through Russia rather than China, think again. Only if Russia secures their border, China theirs, and navies (anyone’s) secure the coastlines can their supply routes be effectively combated.