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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (R) and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko hold a summit in Pyongyang on March 26, 2026, in this photo published the following day by the Korean Central News Agency. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 27 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held summit talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Pyongyang and signed a treaty on friendship and cooperation, the North's state media reported Friday.
Lukashenko, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, made a two-day official visit to North Korea on Wednesday and Thursday at the invitation of Kim.
During the summit held Thursday, Lukashenko said Pyongyang-Minsk ties entered "a new development state," while Kim expressed solidarity with the Belarusian leader's policy for "defending sovereign rights" in the international arena, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
Both Belarus and North Korea have supported Russia's war against Ukraine, and the countries have strengthened relations and cooperation on that basis.
The leaders discussed a range of plans aimed at strengthening high-level exchanges and cooperation across various sectors, as well as international and regional issues of "mutual concern," the KCNA said.
They expressed satisfaction and confidence that their cooperative ties will expand and develop in a way that meets the interests of their people, the KCNA also said.
Kim and Lukashenko also signed a treaty on friendship and cooperation and a number of agreements on diplomacy, agriculture, public health, education and other areas, the KCNA said without providing details.
The leaders held a photo session and exchanged gifts following the talks.
The talks were followed by a reception hosted by Kim for Lukashenko, where the North Korean leader hailed the Belarusian president's visit as a step toward elevating traditional relations between their countries to "a new high stage."
Kim said he was confident "they can do many things beneficial to promoting the prosperity and development of the two countries."
The two leaders also watched an artistic performance at an ice rink marking Lukashenko's visit before the Belarusian president departed aboard his private jet from Pyongyang International Airport on Thursday, with Kim seeing him off, the KCNA said.
North Korea and Belarus formally established diplomatic relations in 1992 and have operated a joint trade and economic cooperation committee since 1995.
The once-dormant committee was reactivated in May last year, and the North's Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui visited Belarus in October to attend a regional security meeting.
By Park Boram
Source: Yonhap News Agency
N. Korea, Belarus hold summit, sign friendship treaty: KCNA
March 27, 2026