North Korean apples have begun appearing on Russian supermarket shelves and exporters from the reclusive dictatorship are planning to enter the Russian market, as closer ties between President Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un begin to bear fruit for both countries.
Twelve months after the leaders forged a new strategic partnership at a lavish ceremony in Pyongyang, deeper commercial co-operation between Russia and North Korea is taking root and extending beyond Pyongyang’s military support for Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, offering the isolated regime an economic lifeline.
North Korean fishing boats have swarmed into waters off Russia’s far east coast in recent months, while North Korean manufacturers of products from jam and sausages to beer and accordions have registered trademarks with Russia’s Federal Service for Intellectual Property.