Relationship dossier
Belarus
North Korea
Relationship assessment
Recent high-level visits and a 2025 friendship treaty mark closer Belarus–North Korea ties
Belarus toward North Korea
+25Belarus sent Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov to Pyongyang in 2024 and President Alexander Lukashenko to North Korea in 2025. The Belarusian government signed a treaty on friendship and cooperation with North Korea during Lukashenko’s visit.
North Korea toward Belarus
+25North Korea hosted Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov in 2024 and President Alexander Lukashenko in 2025. The North Korean government signed a treaty on friendship and cooperation with Belarus during Lukashenko’s visit.
Overall relationship
+25The bilateral relationship has gained substance through senior-level visits and a 2025 treaty on friendship and cooperation. These developments point to an emerging official partnership, although its practical scope and durability are not yet clear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Belarus and North Korea have pursued closer official cooperation in recent years. Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov visited Pyongyang in 2024, and President Alexander Lukashenko visited North Korea in 2025, where the two governments signed a treaty on friendship and cooperation. These steps indicate concrete but relatively recent bilateral engagement; the breadth and implementation of the relationship remain unclear.
Key developments
Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov visited Pyongyang for talks and bilateral cooperation.
Alexander Lukashenko visited North Korea, and the two governments signed a treaty on friendship and cooperation.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of the 2025 treaty and related bilateral agreements are unclear.
- The extent of sustained cooperation beyond high-level visits and official agreements is uncertain.