Russian Emergencies Ministry delegation visits North Korea... Accelerating cooperation in the field of disasters
Quick Look
- North Korea and Russia are strengthening human exchange and cooperation in the field of disaster prevention and response.
- A delegation from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations visited Pyongyang to discuss policies, and the two countries have expanded cooperation across politics, military, economy, culture, and disaster response using the summit after 2023.
- Russia plans to invest 61.5 million rubles in training North Korea experts over the next five years.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
North Korea and Russia have strengthened cooperation in various fields, including politics, military, economy, and culture, using the summit meetings in September 2023 and June 2024. There were existing points of contact in the field of disaster response, and this visit to North Korea appears to be an extension of discussions on expanding cooperation along that line.
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Boram Yoon = North Korea and Russia, which are closely related through a 'blood alliance,' are accelerating cooperation, including human exchanges, in the field of disaster response.
The Korean Central News Agency reported on the 12th that the Ministry of Emergency Situations delegation led by Russian Emergency Situations Minister Aleksandr Kurenkov arrived in Pyongyang on the 11th.
The news agency reported that Kim Chul-nam, North Korea's disaster prevention minister, and Vladimir Topeha, the head of construction at the Russian Embassy in North Korea, welcomed the delegation at Pyongyang International Airport.
The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry's visit to North Korea appears to be aimed at discussing ways to expand cooperation in the field of disaster prevention and response policies.
North Korea and Russia have been strengthening cooperation in all areas, including politics, military, economy, culture, and disaster response, before and after successive summits in September 2023 and June 2024.
A delegation from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations also visited Pyongyang in July of last year, inspected North Korea's disaster prevention and response system, and discussed ways to train fire rescue experts and cooperate in the field of science and technology.
Prior to this, in May 2024, the Chairman of the North Korean National Emergency Disaster Committee participated in the 'Comprehensive Safety 2024' exhibition of security measures held in Moscow, and held a meeting with the Russian Minister of Emergency Situations through this event.
In addition, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin recently ordered the Ministry of Emergency Situations through an executive order to conduct training for North Korean experts at the Far East Fire and Rescue School in Vladivostok, NK News, an American media outlet specializing in North Korea, reported on the 6th.
This measure is in accordance with the 'Expert Training and Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement' signed between the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations and North Korea's Ministry of Disaster Prevention in December last year, and the Russian government plans to invest 61.5 million rubles (approximately 1 billion won) to operate the training program over the next five years.
North Korea, which frequently experiences floods, including the floods in the summer of 2024 that caused large-scale damage, is working to strengthen internal preparedness measures.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Russia will operate a training program for North Korean experts at the Vladivostok Far East Fire and Rescue School for the next five years.
Very likely · Within months
Open Questions
- What are the specific contents and duration of the training program for North Korean experts?
- What practical policy changes will this visit of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations bring to North Korea?
- Could this cooperation lead to improvements in North Korea's actual disaster response capabilities?
