Relationship dossier
Italy
North Korea
Relationship assessment
Diplomatic ties coexist with Italian opposition to North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.
Italy toward North Korea
-15Italy established diplomatic relations with North Korea in 2000. In 2017, Italy declared the North Korean ambassador persona non grata amid North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests.
North Korea toward Italy
Not assessedOverall relationship
Not assessedHow 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
Italy established diplomatic relations with North Korea in 2000, but later took a confrontational step by declaring North Korea’s ambassador persona non grata in 2017 amid North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests. Information about concrete North Korean government conduct specifically toward Italy is insufficient to assess that aspect of the relationship.
Areas of tension
- Italy’s opposition to North Korea’s nuclear tests and missile launches
Key developments
Italy established diplomatic relations with North Korea.
Italy declared North Korea’s ambassador persona non grata amid North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests.
Major uncertainties
- The extent of substantive bilateral cooperation beyond diplomatic relations is unclear.
- Details of North Korean government policy specifically toward Italy are limited.