Only 300 North Koreans entered Russia in the first three months of the year, official statistics show, a steep drop from nearly 5,500 DPRK visitors in the previous quarter despite signs of continuing bilateral cooperation.

In the first quarter, 167 DPRK nationals traveled to Russia for business, 51 for private reasons and only three for education, according to new data compiled by the Russian border agency under the Federal Security Service (FSB).

Another 58 North Koreans transited through Russia en route to other countries, while 16 were vehicle service personnel. The FSB recorded no entries for work, down from seven