North Korea–Syria relations

North Korea–Syria relations

North Korea	Syria
Diplomatic mission
Embassy of North Korea, Damascus	Embassy of Syria, Pyongyang

Relations between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Ba'athist Syria (Arabic: العلاقات السورية الكورية الشمالية; Korean: 수리야-조선민주주의인민공화국 관계) had been very strong and close since the 1960s, when North Korea 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.^[1] Both states maintain embassies in the other country's respective capitals.^[2] Ba'athist Syria did not establish diplomatic relations with South Korea.

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 Syrian reactor was destroyed by Israel in an airstrike in 2007.^[3] The United States signed the Iran, North Korea, Syria Nonproliferation Act in 2000.

In 2012, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expressed support for the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in face of a growing civil war.^[4] In September 2015, the Syrian government paid tribute to Kim Il Sung in a ceremony for a new park in Damascus named in his honor.^[5] In 2016, there were reports that North Korean Special Forces were fighting to defend the Syrian government in the Syrian Civil War.^[1] North Korea also expressed interest in helping Syria in post-war reconstruction.^[6][7] In 2018, Bashar al-Assad said that he will visit North Korea to meet with Kim Jong Un.^[8] A United Nations report released in 2018 alleged that North Korea was helping Syria in developing chemical weapons.^[9][10][11]

Following the collapse of the Assad family regime in December 2024, the future of the North Korean-Syrian relations is in doubt as North Korea's state media remained silent on the regime's collapse after the rebels took control of the country.^[12] The North Korean Embassy in Syria was evacuated.^[13]