North Korea and Russia have signed a protocol to strengthen sports exchanges for next year. 

According to the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) on Monday, North Korea’s sports minister Kim Il-guk and his Russian counterpart, Mikhail Degtyarev, signed the protocol the previous day at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang. 

The two sides signed the protocol after talks on Sunday, which North Korea’s vice sports minister O Kwang-hyok and Russia’s Ambassador to North Korea Aleksandr Matsegora also attended. 

Although the KCNA did not elaborate on the protocol, the two sides are believed to have included specific plans to enhance bilateral cooperation through various sports.

In a Facebook post Friday, the Russian Embassy in North Korea announced the Russian sports minister’s visit, saying the agreement he planned to sign with North Korea would include joint sports events, the nurturing of expert workers and sports tourism.