North Korea sends new envoy to Belarus amid warming ties

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko shakes hands with Kim Jong Un during a meeting in Pyongyang, March 26. PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS, REUTERS/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 Alexandr 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