Context: Aleksandr Lukashenko visited North Korea from March 25 to 26, 2026. There, he signed a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation with that country, along with nine sectoral agreements. Belarus and the DPRK are among the world’s leaders in the number of international sanctions imposed on them. North Korea ranks fourth, with more than 2,000 restrictions. Belarus is lower on the list, with about 1,000 restrictions. Russia tops the list with over 24,000 sanctions imposed on it.
During his appearance on the program Aktualnyi mikrofon on the First National Channel of Belarusian Radio, political analyst Andrei Lazutkin discussed Aleksandr Lukashenko’s visit to Pyongyang, presenting it as an almost unprecedented event.
“How many foreign leaders has North Korea hosted over the past 30 years?” he asked hosts Alena Shvaiko and Elena Davidovich on air on March 26, 2026. “Not many.” “Can you give a number?” “I don’t know how many there have been…” “Two — Lukashenko and Putin. So the fact that we were invited to the most closed country is actually a huge honor,” Lazutkin said.
North Korea is indeed considered one of the most closed-off countries in the world. However, the assertion that only two foreign leaders have visited there in the last 30 years is inaccurate.
In 2000, South Korean President Kim Dae-jung visited Pyongyang. He met with Kim Jong-il, and it was the first summit of its kind in decades. Roh Moo-hyun, South Korea’s next president, paid a visit to North Korea seven years later. In 2018, a third South Korean leader met with Kim Jong-un. Therefore, when it comes to South Korea alone, we are dealing with more than one visit.
But the list doesn’t stop there. In 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Pyongyang.
That same year, U.S. President Donald Trump set foot on North Korean soil when he met with Kim Jong-un in the demilitarized zone. Trump crossed the demarcation line and briefly entered the territory of the DPRK.
Subsequently, in 2025, the presidents of Vietnam and Laos paid a visit to North Korea.
Thus, while Lukashenko’s visit to Pyongyang was indeed a rare event, it was not unique, as was suggested on Belarusian Radio. Over the past 30 years, the DPRK has hosted Putin, Lukashenko, and a number of other foreign leaders.
Therefore, the idea that an invitation to Pyongyang automatically makes the Belarusian ruler an extraordinary guest is not valid. This is not about just two visits over 30 years, but about a much broader — though still limited — practice of North Korea’s international contacts.