North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (R) and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko make a toast during a banquet hosted by Kim for the Belarusian leader in Pyongyang on March 26, following their summit talks. (Yonhap) North Korea has sent a new ambassador to Belarus, Pyongyang’s state media reported Sunday, in a sign of deepening bilateral ties following Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s visit to Pyongyang last month.
Ji Kyong-su, a former vice minister of external economic relations, presented his credentials to Lukashenko on Friday, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
During the ceremony, Ji conveyed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s “warm greeting,” to which Lukashenko expressed his gratitude, the report said.
Lukashenko visited North Korea on March 25 and 26, holding summit talks with Kim in Pyongyang. The two sides signed a treaty on friendship and cooperation aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and expanding collaboration across various sectors.
Observers say North Korea and Belarus have been drawing closer as both countries align diplomatically and politically, particularly in their support for Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
Belarus plans to open an embassy in North Korea by Aug. 1, according to a Belarusian news report. (Yonhap)