Russia and North Korea Deepen Medical Ties With Focus on Drug Production and Healthcare Development

Russia is actively accepting North Korean doctors for training at leading medical centers in Moscow, specializing in cardiology and oncology, the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang announced on March 25.

The statement cited a meeting between Russian Ambassador Alexander Matsegora and North Korea’s Deputy Minister of Health, Jong Sol Ryong.

In addition to medical training, Russia and North Korea agreed on Russian assistance in modernizing North Korea’s pharmaceutical industry, particularly in the production of modern antibiotics. The two sides also discussed plans to establish new medical facilities in North Korea.

Jong expressed North Korea’s willingness to share its medical innovations with Russia, claiming that some North Korean treatments have demonstrated “very high effectiveness.”

Medical collaboration between Russia and North Korea has intensified in recent months. In the fall of 2023, Pyongyang’s Pugang Pharmaceutical Factory opened a representative office in Russia, leading to the official sale of North Korean dietary supplements on Russian e-commerce platforms.

One such product is “Kumdang-2”, an injectable serum supposedly made from six-year-old Kaesong ginseng—a plant claimed to have been cultivated in soil enriched with rare earth elements.

The sellers of Kumdang-2 advertise anti-aging properties, tissue regeneration, and immune system enhancement, with a three-pack costing up to 7,000 rubles ($76).

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However, when a journalist from Russian media Ostorozhno, Novosti called the company selling the product and asked about potential health risks, the representative responded: “Use it at your own risk. I’m not a doctor. Even the manufacturer gives vague descriptions of side effects.”

Russian pharmacists interviewed by the outlet said they had never heard of North Korean dietary supplements, while European pharmaceutical experts dismissed them as pseudoscience.

Meanwhile, South Korean researchers tested Kumdang-2 and found that the ampules contained nothing but the anesthetic procaine (novocaine)—with no trace of the advertised rare ginseng extract.

Earlier, students at a Chelyabinsk university marked the birthday of North Korea’s former leader, Kim Jong Il , in a gathering organized by the “Friendship Club with the DPRK,” Russian media outlet ASTRA reported on March 3.

The event, held on February 17, honored what North Korea calls the “Day of the Shining Star”—the birthday of Kim Jong Il, father of the country’s current ruler, Kim Jong Un.