Africa-North Korea relations encompass the diplomatic, economic, and cultural interactions between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the continent of Africa. These relations have evolved significantly since the Cold War era, marked by periods of solidarity, military cooperation, and economic exchange.
Historical Context: Cold War Solidarity
During the Cold War, North Korea aligned itself with the Third World and the Eastern Bloc, particularly China, Cuba, and the Soviet Union, in condemning colonialism and supporting revolutionary movements across Africa. North Korea provided military and civil assistance to several African nations, including Guinea, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Mali, and Tanzania. In return, North Korea gained diplomatic recognition and leverage, successfully preventing South Korea from joining the Non-Aligned Movement.
North Korea strongly condemned apartheid in South Africa and refused to establish diplomatic relations with the apartheid regime. Militants affiliated with the African National Congress (ANC) received training from North Korean agents in camps inside Angola. The North Korean government campaigned against the previous white minority government and provided military training to ANC rebels in camps in Angola. Diplomatic relations between the two nations were established in 1998, after the end of apartheid.
The relationship with Egypt was particularly close, with North Korean pilots flying Egyptian fighters in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and Egypt exporting Scud missiles to North Korea. During the Rhodesian Bush War, North Korea opposed the white-ruled government of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and supported black African guerrilla fighters, alongside the Soviet Union.
Ibrahim Abatcha and his revolutionary movement, FROLINAT, in Chad, had close ties with Pyongyang and received North Korean assistance for its establishment.
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Key Relationships and Engagements
Angola
North Korea has maintained a strong relationship with Angola since its struggle for independence, providing military advisors and support during the South African Border War.
Mozambique
After Mozambique gained independence from Portugal, it fell into a civil war between the communist FRELIMO and the anti-communist RENAMO.
Uganda
Uganda is a long-term ally of North Korea. Yoweri Museveni, Uganda's president since 1986, has said that he learned basic Korean from Kim Il Sung during visits to North Korea. North Korea has provided training for pilots, technicians, police, marine forces, and special forces. In 2016, Uganda stated it was ending this cooperation due to United Nations sanctions against North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
Zimbabwe
Soldiers of the Zimbabwean African National Liberation Army were trained in North Korea during the Rhodesian Bush War. In 1980, after independence was gained and Rhodesia became Zimbabwe, President Robert Mugabe visited North Korea. In October 1980, Kim Il Sung and Mugabe signed an agreement for an exchange of soldiers. The most notorious example is the Fifth Brigade of Zimbabwe, which was trained and armed by around a hundred North Korean instructors in the 1980s.
Mansudae Overseas Projects: Artistic Diplomacy
As part of its efforts to attain widespread diplomatic recognition and generate revenue, the North Korean government established the Mansudae Overseas Projects as a subsidiary of its Mansudae Art Studio. This entity has created monuments, sculptures, and government facilities in the style of socialist realism across Africa. Initially, many works were given freely as diplomatic gestures. Due in part to this history of artistic diplomacy, African nations continue to represent most of Mansudae Overseas' customers.
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Across the African continent, North Korean labourers have designed and built statues, cemeteries, palaces, and other types of buildings that celebrate African independence. Heritage turned out to be a profitable trade - even despite the UN sanctions that were first installed in 2006, and were meant to isolate North Korea on the international stage.
Monumental Diplomacy
Current Diplomatic Status
Steady diplomatic outreach brought the number of states and nations with formal relations with North Korea to a high of 166 nations in 2014. That number is believed to stand at 160 states as of June 2024.
Not all nations have an ambassador accredited to North Korea or a diplomatic presence or mission in Pyongyang. Many countries base diplomatic staff handling North Korean affairs at their embassies in Beijing or Seoul, and North Korea has not always permitted non-resident ambassadors to present their credentials in Pyongyang. At the start of 2024, there were 24 diplomatic missions in Pyongyang, with Nicaraguan officials announcing that Managua would open an embassy in Pyongyang as well.
In the months after North Korea sealed its borders in January 2020 at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many embassies and cooperation offices temporarily shut their doors, with most foreign diplomats and aid workers leaving Pyongyang. Most missions remained temporarily closed as of June 2024 but were expected to begin opening up later in the year.
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Meanwhile, in 2023, North Korea shuttered nearly a fifth of its embassies abroad, reducing its presence overseas to 44 diplomatic missions abroad as of February 2024, according to data posted by the South Korea’s Foreign Ministry, though news reports suggested there were additional embassy closures not reflected in that count. That count was down from 53 missions abroad the previous year.
Foreign Embassies in Pyongyang and DPRK Missions Abroad
As of early 2024, the following countries maintain embassies in Pyongyang, and North Korea maintains missions abroad:
| Foreign Embassies in Pyongyang (24) | DPRK Missions Abroad (44) |
|---|---|
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South Africa and North Korea
North Korea-South Africa relations refers to the bilateral relations between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and South Africa. North Korea maintains an embassy in Pretoria, while the South African ambassador to China is also accredited to North Korea.
In August 1998, after the end of apartheid, North Korea and South Africa formally established diplomatic relations. Both countries agreed to maintain non-residential relations at ambassadorial level. South Africa has been critical of North Korea's use of nuclear weapons.
From 24 to 27 September 2005, Aziz Pahad, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with senior North Korean government officials in Pyongyang.
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