DPRK Introduces Compulsory Study Of The Russian Language

• 27.11.2025, 16:26

Since fourth grade.

North Korea's school program has included compulsory study of the Russian language, and it will start in the fourth grade, Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Alexander Kozlov, who is also co-chairman of the Russian-North Korean intergovernmental commission, Interfax reported.

According to Kozlov, Russian has been one of the most demanded foreign languages in the DPRK for many years and is consistently among the top three.

In 2026, the Center for Open Education in the Russian language should be opened in the country - it will be created on the basis of the Kim Chul Joo Pedagogical University, and the construction of the building is already underway. In Russia, the minister noted, more than 3,000 schoolchildren study the Korean language today.

The countries are expanding cooperation in education: programs have been launched for the banking sector, medicine, energy and geological industry. Last academic year, 96 DPRK citizens became students of Russian universities - most often they choose FEFU, MGIMO and RUDN.

About 300 students study Korean in Russian universities.