North Korea deepens Belarus relations but keeps focus on Moscow and Washington



Analysis North Korea deepens Belarus relations but keeps focus on Moscow and Washington Ties have grown as part of alignment with Russia, Iran, but could suffer if Ukraine war ends or US diplomacy resumes Gabriela Bernal February 6, 2025 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (right) \| Image: Vitebsk Popular News via Flickr (CC BY-SA 4.0) and KCNA, edited by NK Pro While most headlines remain focused on North Korea’s increasingly close relationship with Russia, Moscow is not the only partner Pyongyang has its eyes on. Russia and China are North Korea’s most vital allies but the DPRK has also been working to strengthen existing relationships and among them is Belarus. The country’s president, Alexander Lukashenko, told journalists last month that he was planning to visit the DPRK with the aim to “safeguard” the Belarusian economy and “diversify” ties in expectation of a tough year ahead. He also claimed the DPRK had invited Belarus “to hold Read More © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. LATEST ANALYSIS 01North Korea deepens Belarus relations but keeps focus on Moscow and Washington 02North Korea starts new project at large-scale military training base 03How North Korea could leverage China’s DeepSeek AI model for military, cyber ops 04North Korea lets slip where special forces trained before Russia deployment 05Trump’s first-week overtures on North Korea are unlikely to entice Kim Jong Un 06In changing world, North Korea has little to gain from pro-regime sympathizers 07Why North Korea’s top military official may have been quietly demoted once again 08Where North Korea ranks in Trump’s foreign policy priorities for term two 09Why guidance systems are the Achilles’ heel of North Korea’s missile arsenal 10Why North Korea’s United Front Department likely survived anti-unification push

Analysis

North Korea deepens Belarus relations but keeps focus on Moscow and Washington

Ties have grown as part of alignment with Russia, Iran, but could suffer if Ukraine war ends or US diplomacy resumes

Gabriela Bernal February 6, 2025

North Korea deepens Belarus relations but keeps focus on Moscow and Washington

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (right) | Image: Vitebsk Popular News via Flickr (CC BY-SA 4.0) and KCNA, edited by NK Pro

While most headlines remain focused on North Korea’s increasingly close relationship with Russia, Moscow is not the only partner Pyongyang has its eyes on. Russia and China are North Korea’s most vital allies but the DPRK has also been working to strengthen existing relationships and among them is Belarus.

The country’s president, Alexander Lukashenko, told journalists last month that he was planning to visit the DPRK with the aim to “safeguard” the Belarusian economy and “diversify” ties in expectation of a tough year ahead. He also claimed the DPRK had invited Belarus “to hold

North Korea deepens Belarus relations but keeps focus on Moscow and Washington

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Gabriela Bernal