Belarus leader visits North Korea for first time

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko began on Wednesday his first official visit to North Korea, with the two countries united by Western sanctions, closeness to Russia and accusations of rights violations.

Belarusian state news agency, Belta, said the two-day visit was to deepen ties and "identify key areas of mutual interest and the most promising projects for implementation".

Both nations have provided Moscow assistance with its war in Ukraine, with Pyongyang dispatching ground troops and weapons and Minsk serving as a launchpad for Russia's invasion in 2022.

Kim Jong Un and Lukashenko met in September in Beijing when they attended a military parade at Tiananmen Square, where the North Korean leader reportedly extended an invitation.

The visit is intended to "show solidarity" among nations opposed to the Western order, Lee Ho-ryung of the Korea Institute for Defence Analyses told AFP.

"Kim will try to use the occasion to raise its diplomatic profile and strengthen solidarity among the so-called anti-Western bloc," she said.

In a letter to Lukashenko earlier this month, Kim said he was "willing to expand and develop the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation... to a new, higher stage in line with the demands of the new era", the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

The Belarusian leader in return said that "Minsk affirms it has an interest in actively expanding political and economic ties with Pyongyang at all levels".

Prison camps

North Korea has been under a barrage of Western sanctions, mostly due to its nuclear weapons programme and missiles activity, but also because of its support for Russia's war against Ukraine.

South Korean and Western intelligence agencies have estimated that the North has sent thousands of soldiers to Russia, primarily to the Kursk region, along with artillery shells, missiles and rocket systems.

Around 2,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed and thousands more wounded, according to estimates from South Korea.

Analysts say North Korea is receiving financial aid, military technology, food and energy supplies from Russia in return. President Vladimir Putin visited in 2024.

This has enabled Pyongyang to lessen dependence on its main long-term backer, China.

International rights organisations accuse the North Korean regime of torture, public executions, prison camps, forced labour and restrictions on the freedom of expression and movement.

Crackdown

Lukashenko meanwhile has moved Minsk deeper into Russia's orbit and come down hard on any dissent inside the country during his three decades in power.

The West had heavily sanctioned Minsk over its role in facilitating the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as a crackdown on protests in 2020.

But US President Donald Trump has sought to build ties with Belarus in his second term, easing sanctions and welcoming it to his "Board of Peace".

Belarus has released dozens of prisoners in recent months, largely due to US efforts, including 250 earlier this month.

But it still holds hundreds of political prisoners in its jails, many of whom were arrested after the 2020 election that saw a landslide victory for Lukashenko seen as a sham by the opposition.

Trump met Kim in his first term and there has been speculation of a re-run when the US president makes his delayed visit to China next month.