Russia is set to earmark millions of dollars to explore North Korea’s deep-sea shelf for gas and oil next year, an NK News investigation has found, part of its plans to help the DPRK address longstanding energy shortages while securing access to additional deposits of hydrocarbons near the Far East.

President Vladimir Putin has personally put forward the initiative to assess “the prospects for oil and gas potential in the deep-water basin of the Sea of Japan” on the DPRK shelf, first deputy finance minister Irina Okladnikova told the State Duma’s Budget and Taxes Committee on Thursday, reviewing a draft of Russia’s federal budget for 2026-2028.