Summary
North Korea is sending thousands of soldiers to support Russia in the Ukraine war, expecting compensation of $200 million annually. In return, Russia is providing North Korea with rice, advanced space technology, and potential military assistance in the event of a contingency on the Korean Peninsula.
Despite the the National Intelligence Service’s assessment that the costs outweigh the benefits, experts believe North Korea is securing a strategic advantage by aligning itself with Russia.
Russian decisions over the past few years haven’t exactly shown much long-term strategic choices or forethought, so I doubt this is an argument for them