Japan’s Asahi Shimbun has reported that North Korea and Russia have agreed to hold joint military exercises this year at the earliest.

In a report from Seoul, the newspaper quoted a North Korean official as saying that the two nations will likely hold search and rescue drills for fighter jet pilots stranded in waters off the far eastern coast of Russia.

The newspaper also said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il proposed military exercises including attack training during a summit with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev last August. According to the report, the Russians were reluctant to hold offensive drills, and the two nations agreed to search and rescue training.

The newspaper also noted that South Korea and Japan also participated in search and rescue drills held with Russian troops in waters off Russia’s far eastern coast in 2003.