Why is North Korea seeking stronger cooperation with Russia on disaster management?

North Korea is prone to chronic flood damage and is seeking to strengthen its response to natural disasters. Earlier Russian-North Korean exchanges included inspections of disaster prevention and response sites and discussions on science and technology.

Russian delegation visits Pyongyang to discuss cooperation on disaster management

Q: Who is leading the Russian emergency ministry delegation visiting Pyongyang?

Aleksandr Kurenkov, Russia’s minister of extraordinary situation, is leading the delegation. North Korean Disaster Management Minister Kim Chol-nam and Vladimir Topekha, charge d’affaires ad interim at the Russian Embassy, received the group.

Q: What agreement preceded the Russia-North Korea disaster-management talks?

The Russian emergency ministry and North Korea’s corresponding ministry signed an agreement in December covering specialist training and scientific and technical cooperation. The current visit follows that agreement and continues earlier discussions on disaster prevention and response.

Listen

Summary

A Russian emergency ministry delegation arrived in Pyongyang on Sunday to discuss expanding disaster-management cooperation with North Korea. Led by Aleksandr Kurenkov, the delegation was received by North Korean Disaster Management Minister Kim Chol-nam and Russian Embassy official Vladimir Topekha. The visit follows a December agreement on specialist training and scientific and technical cooperation.

Key Facts

The delegation previously visited Pyongyang in July last year, inspecting disaster prevention and response sites and discussing science and technology cooperation.
Russia and North Korea have increased cooperation in military and economic fields after summits between their leaders in September 2023 and June 2024.
North Korea faces chronic flood damage and is seeking to strengthen its response measures to natural disasters.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 12, 2026 9:58 am KST

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attend a meeting in Beijing, China, Sept. 3, 2025. Reuters-Yonhap

A delegation from Russia's emergency ministry visited Pyongyang to discuss ways to expand cooperation in disaster management, the North's state media reported Monday.

The delegation, led by Aleksandr Kurenkov, minister of extraordinary situation, arrived in Pyongyang on Sunday, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The delegation was greeted by Kim Chol-nam, the North's minister of disaster management, and Vladimir Topekha, charge d'affaires ad interim of the Russian Embassy in North Korea.

The same delegation visited Pyongyang in July last year, inspected the North's disaster prevention and response sites and held discussions on cooperation in science and technology.

Pyongyang and Moscow have stepped up cooperation in a number of fields, including military and economy, following back-to-back summits between their leaders in September 2023 and June 2024.

The ongoing visit by the Russian delegation comes after the Russian ministry and the North's corresponding ministry signed an agreement on specialist training and scientific and technical cooperation in December.

North Korea, prone to chronic flood damage, is said to be seeking to strengthen response measures to such natural disasters.

Explore More