Seoul has agreed to support investment by South Korean companies in a Russian-led economic project in North Korea – a move that would mark a step forward in inter-Korean co-operation, but which may be hindered by continuing tensions on the peninsula.
In September Russia reopened a 54km rail link between its Siberian city of Khasan and the North Korean coastal city of Rajin, where it is supporting work to modernise the port.
During a brief visit to Seoul on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed with his South Korean counterpart Park Geun-hye a memorandum of understanding under which both countries agreed "to encourage the railway and port co-operation project".