North Korea and Russia Discuss Resuming Direct Flights: "Tourist Charter Flights Ready for Operation"

Yoon Jeong-ho, External Economic Minister, Visits Russia, Including Stalin's Tomb

As diplomatic relations between North Korea and Russia show signs of recovery, the resumption of direct flight routes between the two countries was discussed.

The government economic delegation led by North Korea's Minister of External Economic Relations, Yoon Jeong-ho, departed Pyongyang on the 26th, according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency on the 27th. Alexander Matsegora, the Russian ambassador to North Korea, stated on Facebook, "They left for Moscow to hold a joint vice-chairman-level working meeting of the North Korea-Russia Intergovernmental Committee on Science, Technology, and Economic Trade, to conduct an interim summary of the implementation of decisions from the 10th meeting of the committee, and to prepare for the 11th meeting."
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 29th (local time), Aleksandr Kozlov, Minister of Natural Resources and chairman of the Russian side of the North Korea-Russia Trade, Economic, and Scientific-Technical Cooperation Committee (hereinafter the Committee), told RIA Novosti, "The Russian-North Korean delegations discussed the resumption of direct flight routes in Moscow," adding, "Russia and North Korea are ready to resume air travel."

He explained that "charter flights for tourists will be established," noting that the charter flights carrying Russian tourists to North Korea last month were a trial for this purpose.

However, he added, "Regular flights have not yet been discussed," and announced that "the Committee's next meeting will be held in Moscow at the end of this year."

Earlier, on the 27th, the North Korean economic delegation, including Yoon Jeong-ho, Minister of External Economic Relations and chairman of the North Korean side of the Committee, arrived in Moscow. The delegation, visiting Russia to review the implementation status of consultations between the two sides, toured the Kremlin Museum and Armory, and laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on the same day.

On this day, Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, briefed that Russian President Vladimir Putin was working not at the Kremlin but at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence on the outskirts of Moscow.

The North Korean delegation also visited Lenin's Mausoleum and Stalin's Mausoleum in Red Square, showing particular interest in Stalin's Mausoleum, according to RIA Novosti. Minister Kozlov and Shin Hong-chul, North Korea's ambassador to Russia, accompanied the delegation during the schedule.

Since the summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un in September last year, Russia and North Korea have been accelerating exchanges. From the 25th to the 27th, Sergey Naryshkin, head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), visited Pyongyang.