▲ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) meets Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at a welcoming ceremony held at Kim Il Sung Square on March 25, 2026, as Lukashenko has made his first official visit to North Korea, in this photo carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency the following day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
▲ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attend a welcoming ceremony for the Belarusian leader's visit to Pyongyang held at Kim Il Sung Square on March 25, 2026, in this photo carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency the following day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
▲ This photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on March 26, 2026, shows a ceremony to welcome Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's visit to Pyongyang held at Kim Il Sung Square the previous day. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

(LEAD) N Korea-Belarus

(LEAD) N. Korea's Kim welcomes Belarusian President Lukashenko in Pyongyang: KCNA

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details throughout; CHANGES photos)

By Kim Soo-yeon

SEOUL, March 26 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has welcomed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Pyongyang, as the Belarusian leader made his first official visit to the North, according to the North's state media Thursday.

A ceremony to welcome Lukashenko took place at Kim Il Sung Square on Wednesday as he arrived in Pyongyang by his private plane for a two-day visit at the invitation of the North's leader, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Both North Korea and Belarus have supported Russia in its invasion against Ukraine, with Pyongyang sending troops and weapons and Minsk allowing Moscow to use its territory for the invasion.

During this week's talks, Kim and Lukashenko are expected to discuss ways to cooperate in various fields.

When a limousine carrying Lukashenko arrived at the square, Kim "gladly met" with the Belarusian president and "warmly welcomed" his visit to North Korea, according to the KCNA.

At the ceremony, the national anthems of North Korea and Belarus were played, and a 21-gun salute was fired. Guided by Kim, Lukashenko reviewed an honor guard.

Lukashenko laid a wreath at the Liberation Tower in Pyongyang that honors former Soviet Union soldiers who the North claimed were killed while helping liberate Korea from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.

The Belarusian leader also paid tribute at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, a mausoleum where late state founder Kim Il-sung and former leader Kim Jong-il lie in state. He laid a bouquet sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the KCNA reported.

For the trip, Lukashenko was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Shuleiko and ministers of foreign affairs, public health, education and industry.

The two countries plan to sign a treaty on friendship and cooperation during Lukashenko's trip, the Belarusian state news agency Belta reported Wednesday, citing the nation's foreign minister.

Kim and Lukashenko last met in September 2025 in Beijing on the occasion of China's military parade. The North's leader reportedly invited Lukashenko to visit North Korea at that time.

Belarus is among the few countries with which North Korea has sought economic cooperation under U.N. sanctions over its nuclear and missile programs.

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