North Korea and Russia sign an agreement to expand bilateral cooperation on disaster management, with the deal set to run for the next three years starting in 2027, according to North Korean state media reports carried by multiple outlets. The agreement is signed in Pyongyang by Kim Chol-nam, North Korea’s minister of disaster management, and Aleksandr Kurenkov, Russia’s minister of extraordinary situations.
Separately, Russian emergency officials visit Pyongyang ahead of or around the agreement to discuss deepening cooperation. NK News and other reporting cite the arrival of the Russian delegation led by Kurenkov, including meetings with North Korean counterparts. Sources also note that the talks follow a December agreement covering specialist training and scientific and technical cooperation.
While outlets focus on slightly different angles—some emphasize the formal signing of the three-year plan and others highlight the delegation’s visit and prior discussions—both characterize the cooperation as expanding disaster prevention and response exchanges. Korea Times and Yonhap both reference discussions of exchanging disaster-management experience and boosting bilateral exchange, in line with the broader Moscow–Pyongyang push for collaboration described by the reporting.
