List of ambassadors of Russia to North Korea

The ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is the official representative of the president and the government of the Russian Federation to the supreme leader and the government of North Korea.

The ambassador and his staff work at large in the Embassy of Russia in Pyongyang. The post of Russian ambassador to North Korea is currently vacant since December 6, 2025 due to the death of Aleksandr Matsegora.

History of diplomatic relations

The Russian Empire established relations with the Joseon Dynasty in 1884.Korean Mission to the Conference on the Limitation of Armament, Washington, D.C., 1921–1922. (1922). ; excerpt, "Treaty and Diplomatic Relations Between Korea and Russia. Treaty of Amity and Commerce dated June 24, 1884"; Kim, Chun-gil. (2005). However Korea was deprived of its right to conduct independent foreign policy by the Japan-Korea Treaty of 1905, while the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (the eventual successor to the Russian Empire) did not formally recognise the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in exile. In 1948, three years after the end of Japanese rule in Korea, the USSR recognised only one government on the Korean Peninsula—the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly North Korea. Relations continue up to the present day, with the Russian Federation as the USSR's successor state.

List of heads of mission

Ministers from the Russian Empire to the Chosun Dynasty Karl Ivanovich Weber, appointed October 14, 1885

Ministers from the Russian Empire to the Korean Empire Karl Ivanovich Weber (continued from above) Alexey Shpeyer, appointed March 28, 1898 Paul Pavlov,Warner, Denis Ashton. (2002). appointed December 13, 1898.

Ambassadors from the Soviet Union to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (1948–1991) NameAppointmentCredentials presentedTerminationNotesTerentii ShtykovOctober 16, 1948January 14, 1949December 14, 1950Vladimir RazuvayevDecember 14, 1950 July 31, 1953Sergey SuzdalevJuly 31, 1953 August 28, 1953June 17, 1955Vasily IvanovJune 17, 1955 July 26, 1955February 22, 1957Aleksandr PuzanovFebruary 22, 1957 April 8, 1957June 30, 1962June 30, 1962 August 13, 1962May 15, 1965May 15, 1965June 4, 1965April 15, 1967Nikolai SudarikovApril 15, 1967May 18, 1967August 8, 1974August 8, 1974October 25, 1974December 24, 1982December 24, 1982 January 20, 1983October 13, 1987Gennady BartoshevichOctober 13, 1987October 10, 1990Aleksandr KaptoOctober 10, 1990December 25, 1991

Ambassadors from the Russian Federation to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (1991–present) NameAppointmentCredentials presentedTerminationNotesAleksandr KaptoDecember 26, 1991 January 24, 1992Yuri FadeyevJanuary 24, 1992 August 12, 1996Valery DenisovAugust 12, 1996 July 9, 2001Andrei KarlovJuly 9, 2001December 20, 2006Valery SukhininDecember 20, 2006April 5, 2012Aleksandr TimoninApril 5, 2012December 26, 2014Aleksandr MatsegoraDecember 26, 2014March 9, 2015December 6, 2025Andrei PodyolyshevJuly 28, 2026

See also Russia–Korea Treaty of 1884 List of diplomatic missions in North Korea List of Ambassadors from Russia to South Korea

Notes

References Funabashi, Yōichi. (2007). The Peninsula Question: a Chronicle of the Second Korean Nuclear Crisis. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press. ; OCLC 156811113 Halleck, Henry Wager. (1861). International law: or, Rules regulating the intercourse of states in peace and war New York: D. Van Nostrand. OCLC 852699 Kim, Chun-gil. (2005). The History of Korea. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. ; ; OCLC 217866287 Korean Mission to the Conference on the Limitation of Armament, Washington, D.C., 1921–1922. (1922). Korea's Appeal to the Conference on Limitation of Armament. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 12923609 Warner, Denis Ashton and Peggy Warner. (1974). The Tide at Sunrise: a History of the Russo-Japanese War, 1904–1905. New York: Charterhouse. OCLC 422325975