N. Korea, Russia agree to expand cooperation in disaster response

North Korea and Russia have agreed to expand their cooperation on disaster management for the next three years, according to the North's state media. The agreement was signed by Kim Chol-nam, the North's minister of disaster management, and Aleksandr Kurenkov, the Russian minister of extraordinary situations, in Pyongyang. The two countries plan to boost their collaboration in disaster response from 2027 to 2029, as reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The agreement was reached after discussions on sharing successes and experiences in preventing disasters and increasing bilateral exchange and cooperation. Russian emergency ministry officials visited Pyongyang the previous day to meet with their North Korean counterparts and discuss ways to deepen disaster management cooperation.

This comes after a similar agreement on specialist training and scientific and technical cooperation was signed between the Russian ministry and the North's corresponding ministry in December.