A delegation from Russia’s emergencies ministry has landed in North Korea for talks on cooperation in disaster management, as a new Pyongyang ministry intensifies focus on the issue during the summer rainy season.

Deputy emergencies minister Roman Kurynin is set to discuss “key areas for collaboration and examine best practices for responding to natural disasters” with his counterpart Ri Ki Chol, Kuryanin’s ministry said in a press release on Tuesday.

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) team will learn about the DPRK’s national disaster prevention system and touch on cooperation in “training firefighters and rescue specialists, as well as