North Korea has introduced compulsory Russian-language instruction starting in the fourth grade. Alexander Kozlov, Russia’s minister of natural resources and environment and co-chair of the bilateral intergovernmental commission, told a meeting in Moscow that around 600 North Koreans are currently studying Russian, making it one of the three most in-demand languages in the country. In Russia itself, he said, 3 000 schoolchildren and 300 university students are studying Korean.
He noted that last year Russian universities admitted 96 North Korean citizens, including to MGIMO, which trains diplomats. Another 29 North Koreans began studying geology in Russia this year. Kozlov added that educational cooperation now spans banking, energy, medicine and geology, and that Russia is establishing a Russian-language teaching center in North Korea based at Kim Chol Ju Teachers’ University.
The traditionally strong ties between Moscow and Pyongyang have deepened since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. North Korea supplies arms to Russia, sends soldiers to the front line and dispatches demining specialists to the Kursk region, which was briefly under Ukrainian control. In addition, two of the most active state-backed hacking groups—the Russian outfit Gamaredon and North Korea’s Lazarus collective—have begun sharing resources.
Cybercriminal Groups From Russia and North Korea Are Using a Shared Hacking Infrastructure
Experts Say This Is a Sign of Possible Cooperation
North Korea’s Second Economy
Pyongyang Has Built a System of Secretly Employing Its Programmers in the U.S., Europe, and Asia: They Earn Hard Currency, Gain Access to New Technologies, and Learn to Evade Sanctions
In August 2025, Russian tourists began traveling to North Korean resorts in large numbers after Russian carriers launched direct flights to Pyongyang.