In a further erosion of the international sanctions regime against Kim Jong-un, apples from North Korea are being sold in Russian supermarkets, the latest sign of growing co-operation between the countries.
Local media have published photographs of the forbidden fruit in supermarkets in the Russian Far East, arousing curiosity among social media users. The large red apples join the growing range of exports from the isolated country, from clothes, shoes and beer to weight-loss medicines and tranquillisers, many of them in violation of United Nations sanctions.
The news website DVNovosti reported this month that North Korean apples were on sale in the Remi supermarket in the city of Khabarovsk. At 169 roubles (£1.55) a kilogram, they are the second-cheapest of nine apple varieties available in