Russia Ships 400 Goats to North Korea in Sign of Strengthened Ties

 

Russia has sent more than 400 goats to North Korea, marking a significant development in the improving relations between the two countries.

According to North Korean state media, the shipment includes 432 non-pregnant female goats and 15 male goats, which are expected to ensure a steady supply of dairy products for children in the Nampo municipality. The North Korean authorities anticipate further deliveries of farm animals from Russia in the future.

This latest shipment follows the signing of a new strategic partnership treaty between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin during Putin's visit to Pyongyang in June. The visit, Putin's first to North Korea since 2000, underscored the deepening of bilateral ties.

In return for the goats, Kim Jong-un presented President Putin with two Pungsan dogs, a breed native to North Korea. This exchange of gifts reflects the strengthening diplomatic and trade relations between the two nations.

Russia's state veterinary service, Rosselkhoznadzor, confirmed the transfer of the goats to a Korean trading company. This move follows Moscow's previous shipment of 30 grey thoroughbred horses to Pyongyang in 2022, an indication of North Korea's interest in equestrian sports.

The Kremlin is actively seeking to bolster its alliance with North Korea as part of its broader strategy to form an anti-Western coalition. Russian state television has framed the Moscow-Pyongyang alliance as a counter to "global imperialism" led by the United States and its allies.

North Korea has supported Russia's invasion of Ukraine, reportedly providing artillery shells and limited ballistic missiles to Moscow's forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of using a North Korean missile in an attack on Kyiv on August 10, which tragically resulted in the deaths of a father and his four-year-old son.