Russia announced on Thursday that it is pursuing a mutual agreement with North Korea regarding travel for ordinary citizens between the two countries.
Aleksey Klimov, director of the Consular Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, told RIA Novosti that Russia and North Korea are currently drafting an agreement on mutual travel for citizens of both nations. He added that North Korea is included in the list of countries whose citizens can visit Russia using an electronic visa.
Klimov emphasized the importance of cooperation with North Korea, particularly in the consular field. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website, Russia and North Korea signed an agreement on mutual travel for their citizens in 1997, which RIA Novosti confirms is still in effect.
Current travel information indicates that Russian citizens can visit North Korea by obtaining entry visas through approved North Korean travel agencies. After closing its borders for nearly five years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, North Korea allowed Russian tourists to enter earlier this year. Passenger train services between North Korea’s Tumen River Station and Russia’s Khasan Station resumed on December 16.
These negotiations came as Russia and North Korea strengthened their cooperation in various areas following their summit meetings in September and June of last year. As military ties tighten, such as the dispatch of North Korean troops, this push for travel cooperation appears to be an attempt to boost civilian exchanges as well.
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