According to the statement, the North Korean Foreign Ministry marked its position on the issue at the UN vote and considers Crimea as an "integral part of the Russian Federation." Pyongyang has also said it recognizes the Kuril Islands as Russian territory.
"The publishing house "Scientific Encyclopedia" released a new political Atlas of the World. We noticed that the Crimean peninsula (pages 240-242) has already been painted in Russian colors. As we explained in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK, the republic respects the results of the referendum held in Crimea on the entry of the peninsula into the Russian Federation, considers its results to be legitimate and fully compliant with international legal norms," the embassy said.
Crimea rejoined Russia in March 2014 after a coup in the Ukrainian capital that led to a nationalist government taking power. The step was made after 97 percent of local voters supported the move in a referendum. Ukraine, as well as the European Union, the United States and their allies, did not recognize the move and consider the peninsula to be an occupied territory.
Russian authorities have repeatedly said that Crimean citizens have voted for reunification with Russia in full accordance with international laws and the UN Charter.
