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

The Korea Times - Oct 13, 2026

North Korea and Russia have signed an agreement to expand bilateral cooperation on disaster management for the next three years, the North's state media reported Tuesday. Kim Chol-nam, the North's minister of disaster management, and Aleksandr Kurenkov, the Russian minister of extraordinary situations, signed the agreement in Pyongyang the previous day to boost cooperation on the matter from 2027-2029, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). The "successes and experience gained by the two countries in the work to prevent disaster were exchanged and the issues of boosting bilateral exchange and cooperation were discussed," according to the report. A delegation from Russia's emergency ministry arrived in Pyongyang on Sunday for talks with its North Korean counterpart on ways to deepen cooperation in disaster management. The visit came as the Russian ministry and the North's corresponding ministry signed an agreement on specialist training and scientific and technical cooperation in December.

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