North Korean fruit is now reportedly being sold in Russia supermarkets – a move that has infuriated South Korea. Russian news website DVNovosti reported this month that apples from the authoritarian hermit state were on sale in a Remi supermarket in Khabarovsk, a city on the Amur River in southeastern Russia, as reported by The Times.
One local told DVNovosti: “I bought a few pieces out of curiosity to try them. I heard that in North Korea, this fruit has some symbolic significance.” According to The Times, they were the second-cheapest apple variety available at the store, at 169 roubles (£1.55) per kilogram. One Telegram user wrote: “The price is very attractive. I liked the taste. Sweet and sour, aromatic, with loose flesh.”
The pome fruits are thought to be among a growing range of products exported to Russia from North Korea. However, South Korea has said they’re subject to sanctions imposed by the United Nations, which Russia is permanent member of, on DPRK agricultural imports.
Since Russia’s war in Ukraine began in February 2022 with its full-scale invasion, Moscow and Pyongyang have deepended their strategic and economic ties, signing a “comprehensive partnership agreement” last summer.
Both countries are under heavy international sanctions – North Korea over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programme, and Russia for its unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, as per Politico.
The partnership between the two countries commits to “mutual assistance in the event of aggression” as well as co-operation in things like healthcare, education, and trade.
In a sign of their increasing collaboration, North Korea last year reportedly sent more than 10,000 of its troops to fight in Kursk, a Russian region occupied by Ukrainian forces, suffering heavy losses. It’s also accused of supplying Russia with weapons.
Putin has previously taken issue with the sanctions Russia and North Korea have been hit with, saying both nations “do not tolerate the language of blackmail and diktat” and would continue countering the use of “sanctions strangling” by the West to maintain “hegemony”, as per BBC News.
Exports to Russia and the foreign currency it brings are an important lifeline for North Korea which is experiencing chronic shortages of food, as per The Times.
A spokesperson for South Korea’s unification ministry told outlet: “Since all edible fruits are included in the UN sanctions resolution, this case is also a violation of the resolution.
“We once again emphasise that Russia, along with all UN member states, is obligated to comply with the UN sanctions against North Korea.”
