N. Korea's Kim says ties with Belarus will advance briskly in reply to Lukashenko

▲ 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)

NK leader-Belarus

N. Korea's Kim says ties with Belarus will advance briskly in reply to Lukashenko

SEOUL, March 31 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a letter to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, expressing confidence that their countries' friendship will advance briskly, the North's state media said Tuesday.

Kim sent the message the previous day in response to Lukashenko's letter congratulating his reelection as president of the state affairs commission at the first session of the newly formed 15th Supreme People's Assembly, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

"I express my confidence that the traditional friendly relations between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Belarus will advance briskly at a new level in accordance ... with our agreement," the KCNA quoted Kim as saying.

Kim and Lukashenko held summit talks in Pyongyang on Thursday and signed a treaty on friendship and cooperation as the two countries are deepening ties based on their shared support for Russia's war against Ukraine.

The leaders touted bilateral ties as having entered a "new stage."

Kim also wished for Lukashenko's success in his policies aimed at national prosperity and the people's well-being, the KCNA said.

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