By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter

South Korea and Russia agreed Thursday to exchange archives and expertise in future research regarding Korea in the 16th-20th centuries.

Kim Yong-deok, president of the Northeast Asian History Foundation, and Sergey Chernyavskiy, head of the Russian State Naval Archives, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in central Seoul to boost research cooperation.

The MOU is expected to facilitate studies particularly pertaining to the Russia's policies toward Korea in the last few centuries and the Russo-Japanese War.

Founded in 1724, the Russian State Naval Archives is one of the oldest in Russia, with a large possession of ancient documents and maps on Korea.

jhdo@koreatimes.co.kr