Russia, North Korea to hold naval drills

The two neighboring countries are set to hold their first joint defense exercise this year.

The Russian and North Korean navies and air forces will take part in a joint sea rescue exercise, China Daily reported, following an agreement reached last month between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

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Russia and North Korea's joint military exercises are an effort to balance influence with the US, South Korea and Japan on the Korean peninsula, Japan's Asahi newspaper said.

North Korea rarely participates in joint military exercises with other countries. The Asahi said both Japan and South Korea will likely closely monitor the exercise, although it is unclear whether North Korea and Russia will use weapons in the joint exercise.

Pyongyang has recently made a series of moves that have raised hopes for reconciliation between the two halves of the Korean Peninsula, as well as the resumption of the six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear issue. When meeting Russian President Medvedev in Siberia last month, Chairman Kim promised to consider halting production and testing of nuclear weapons if negotiations were restarted. Moscow and Beijing have supported Pyongyang's move.

Seoul, Washington and Tokyo have been cautious, however, calling for a resumption of the six-party talks only if Pyongyang takes concrete steps to dismantle its nuclear program and allows foreign nuclear inspectors into the North. The United States and South Korea held large-scale joint military exercises last year, and Japan sent naval officers as observers.

According to VnExpress