A North Korean delegation led by a senior agriculture official is visiting Russia, the official KCNA news agency said on Sunday, the latest exchange between Moscow and Pyongyang as it grapples with chronic food shortages.
Deputy Prime Minister Ri Chel Man led a delegation from the Agriculture Committee to Russia on Saturday, KCNA reported. Alexander Matsegora, Russia’s ambassador to North Korea, said in a Facebook post that Ri Yong Ho’s schedule would be “very heavy.”
Relations between the two countries have strengthened dramatically since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited Russia’s Far East in September and held a summit with President Vladimir Putin.
At an important policy-making meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party in December, Kim Jong-un spent considerable space in his speech discussing the need to improve agricultural productivity, calling for the modernization of agricultural equipment and the improvement of irrigation systems.
Despite his claims of success in improving agricultural production, North Korea has long struggled with food shortages, in part due to longstanding U.N. sanctions over its weapons programs and seasonal natural disasters.
Lee, considered a career technocrat in agriculture, was promoted to agriculture committee chairman at a Workers’ Party meeting, according to a South Korean government database.
According to North Korean state media, the two countries have exchanged delegations several times since their leaders met in September, with the frequency increasing in recent months.
U.S. and South Korean officials have expressed concerns about the military at the heart of closer cooperation, accusing North Korea of sending weapons to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine.
Moscow and Pyongyang have both denied the accusations, although their leaders have vowed to deepen military cooperation.
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