North Korea–Syria relations
diplomatic relations between North Korea and Syria
Relations between Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic: العلاقات السورية الكورية الشمالية; Korean: 수리야-조선민주주의인민공화국 관계) were established in 1966. Syria has an embassy in Pyongyang while North Korea has an embassy in Damascus. Before the fall of the Assad regime, North Korea was one of Ba'athist Syria's closest allies, and vice versa.
Relations with Ba'athist Syria
The Syrian Arab Republic recognized the Democratic People's Republic of Korea as the sole legitimate government of Korea and both states had established diplomatic relations on 25 July 1966. Both of the countries were aligned with the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War.
The DPRK had provided military assistance to the Syrian Ba'athist regime in its wars with Israel and were improved after the Assad family came into power in 1970. The relations between the two countries remain fair despite the collapse of communist regimes in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union; as the new Boris Yeltsin government retreated from the Middle East while North Korea suffered a massive famine in the 1990s. In 1986, the two countries signed a technical cooperation agreement. The two countries did indeed have much in common - both were militaristic totalitarian dictatorships with a large cult of personality of the leaders and a socialist party in power.
North Korea built a nuclear reactor in Syria based on the design of its own reactor at Yongbyon, and North Korean officials traveled regularly to the site.
The public source identifies “North Korea–Syria relations” as diplomatic relations between North Korea and Syria. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around North, Korea and Syria.
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