(LEAD) N. Korea, Belarus hold summit, sign friendship treaty: KCNA

▲ North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (R) and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko attend a banquet following their 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)

▲ 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)

(LEAD) N Korea-Belarus-summit

(LEAD) N. Korea, Belarus hold summit, sign friendship treaty: KCNA

(ATTN: UPDATES throughout, photos)

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 had been upgraded to a "new stage," while Kim expressed solidarity with the Belarusian leader's policy to "safeguard sovereign rights" on the international stage, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

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 interest," the KCNA said.

The leaders 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.

Both Belarus and North Korea have supported Russia's war against Ukraine, and the countries have strengthened relations and cooperation on that basis.

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.

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