NK, Russia sign cooperation protocol after talks on economy, science: KCNA

North Korea and Russia sign a protocol on expanding cooperation in the fields of trade, economy, science and technology, Nov. 15, in this photo carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency. Yonhap

North Korea and Russia have signed a protocol on expanding cooperation in various fields following bilateral talks on economy, science and technology held in Pyongyang, the North's state media reported Thursday.

The agreement was signed after the two countries held the 10th meeting of the Committee for Cooperation in Trade, Economy, Science and Technology on Wednesday, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said without specifying details.

The meeting was a follow-up to the rare summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in September. A Russian government delegation, led by Natural Resources Minister Alexander Kozlov, arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday to attend the meeting.

The meeting discussed measures for "revitalizing and expanding the multifaceted bilateral exchange and cooperation in different fields, including trade, economy, science and technology," under the agreement reached at the Kim-Putin summit, the KCNA said.

The North-Russia committee, a ministerial-level consultative body on economic cooperation, had held nine rounds of meetings between 1996 and 2019.

Seoul's unification ministry earlier said the committee is likely to discuss various issues, ranging from food aid, economic and logistics cooperation to dispatching North Korean workers to Russia at the November meeting.

The ministry warned the North that the international community is closely watching the talks amid persistent suspicions over its arms trade with Russia.

Meanwhile, the KCNA said in a separate dispatch that the sports ministers of North Korea and Russia held talks in Pyongyang and signed an agreement to expand exchanges and cooperation in the sports field for 2024-2026. (Yonhap)