A Russian delegation led by a top trade official has arrived in Pyongyang, North Korea’s state media reported.
The team headed by Russian Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Roman Chekushov arrived in the North Korean capital on Monday, the state news agency KCNA reported yesterday.
At the airport, the delegation was greeted by North Korea’s External Economic Relations Minister Yun Jong-ho and 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 huge floods 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 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. — AFP
