Russia's ambassador to North Korea, a veteran of the mission, has died. It had been decorated by Putin in 2024

Alexander Matsegora, Russia's ambassador to North Korea since 2014, who spent decades in the isolated state and oversaw a recent blossoming of relations between Moscow and Pyongyang, has died at the age of 70, according to AFP and The Moscow Times.

The ambassador was last seen in public last Tuesday when he met with Russian students in Moscow who are learning the Korean language.

The Russian Foreign Ministry made the announcement on Monday, two days after the death, without disclosing the cause.

“We will cherish in our hearts the memory of the outstanding Russian diplomat and patriot, who made a serious contribution to the establishment and development of a comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and North Korea,” the ministry said. “We send our sincere condolences to his family and friends,” the statement added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed an agreement last year that provides for mutual aid if one of the countries faces “aggression”, a strategic pact agreed in the context of the rapprochement that has taken place between the two countries amid the impasse in relations with the West.

After signing the partnership agreement, Pyongyang sent thousands of troops to Russia's Kursk region to repel the Ukrainian offensive that took place there.

The ambassador was decorated by Putin in 2024

The Russian news agency TASS writes that Matsegora was born in 1955, and in 1978 he graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. He joined the diplomatic corps in 1999 and held various positions both at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and abroad.

In the period 2005-2006 he was head of section in the first department for Asia within the ministry, and between 2006 and 2011 he was minister-counselor of the Russian embassy in North Korea.

Matsegora, who spoke both English and Korean, was deputy director of the Asia department from 2011 to 2014.

In February 2024, Vladimir Putin decorated him with the Order of Alexander Nevsky.