Russian delegation arrives in North Korea

SEOUL - A Russian delegation led by a top trade official has arrived in Pyongyang, North Korea’s state media reported on Aug 27.

The team headed by Russian Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Roman Chekushov arrived in the North Korean capital on Aug 26, the state news agency KCNA reported.

At the airport, the delegation was greeted by North Korea’s External Economic Relations Minister Yun Jong Ho as well as Russian embassy officials, and a reception followed, according to the report.

The visit comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin offered his country’s support over devastating floods in North Korea that caused an unspecified number of deaths and damaged thousands of homes in late July.

The government has vowed to move 15,000 flood victims to the capital as international offers of support have poured in since news of the flooding disaster emerged.

South Korean media have reported that the number of dead and missing in the North from the floods could be as high as 1,500, but North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dismissed the reports as a provocation.

North Korea and Russia have been allies since the North’s founding after World War II and have drawn even closer since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

North Korea is accused of breaching arms control measures by supplying weapons to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine.

Natural disasters tend to have a greater impact on isolated and impoverished North Korea due to its weak infrastructure, while deforestation has left it vulnerable to flooding. AFP