The Russian ambassador to North Korea, Alexander Matsegora (70), in office for more than a decade, has died suddenly, Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced on Monday, without specifying the cause of his death.
The ministry paid tribute to Matsegora, describing his career as having begun in the late 1970s and highlighting his efforts to foster economic and diplomatic cooperation between North Korea and the Soviet Union, and later Russia.
The statement also noted his role in nurturing several generations of Korean specialists and diplomats throughout his tenure.
Appointed ambassador to Pyongyang in 2014, Matsegora was credited as a driving force behind the close relationship Moscow and Pyongyang now enjoy, which the ministry described as “unprecedented.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un extended his condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling the diplomat’s sudden passing “heart-breaking” and “a great loss,” according to North Korea’s state news agency KCNA.
Kim emphasised the timing of Matsegora’s death, referencing the “historic and crucial phase” that bilateral ties are currently entering.
Russia and North Korea have significantly deepened their diplomatic, military, and economic cooperation in recent years. A mutual defence pact was signed in 2024 after an official visit to Pyongyang by President Putin.
North Korea has reportedly assisted Russia’s war effort by sending thousands of soldiers between late 2024 and early 2025 to combat Ukrainian forces that briefly seized part of Russia’s Kursk region.
South Korea has accused North Korea of supplying weapons and ammunition to Russia in exchange for advanced military technologies, though this claim remains unverified.
