Russia And North Korea Are Preparing Papers For Joint Exploration Of Oil And Gas On The Shelf
Russia has already received from the DPRK part of the documents necessary to begin joint offshore exploration of oil and gas fields; Moscow is awaiting the remaining package of documents from Pyongyang, Russian Ambassador to North Korea Alexander Matsegora said in an interview with RIA Novosti.
Russia and the DPRK agreed on joint offshore exploration of hydrocarbons in November 2023. The Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation noted that the department’s subsoil use department will develop a geological exploration plan after the Korean side provides the necessary geophysical maps.
“We have already received some papers, some materials and maps should be transferred in the near future,” Matsegora said.
The diplomat recalled that Soviet specialists once worked on the Korean shelf of the Yellow Sea, and then no large deposits were discovered. But, according to him, the emergence of new marine exploration techniques and improved technology can yield results in the search for hydrocarbons on the shelf.
“Our experts still consider the seas surrounding Korea interesting from the point of view of the possibility of finding hydrocarbons here. Korean colleagues are interested in cooperation with us in this area – they have no doubts about the competence of Russian specialists. Our own oil and/or gas reserves would not be at all unnecessary for the DPRK economy,” the ambassador added.
