Introduction

North Korea’s foreign policy has been marked by several distinct stages since the establishment of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in 1948. In its earliest years, North Korea maintained diplomatic ties exclusively with Eastern bloc countries, along with the People’s Republic of China and Vietnamese revolutionaries. By the 1960s and 1970s, North Korea began reaching out to Third World countries emerging from colonialism, competing with South Korea for diplomatic recognition and the legitimacy it entails.[ii] After the collapse of the USSR and the beginning of China’s economic reforms, the DPRK, seeking foreign investment and security, tried to improve relations with capitalist countries including the U.S., Japan, and Europe.[iii]

North Korea’s state ideology of Juche emphasizes self-reliance and independence in foreign affairs, but it has not meant diplomatic or economic isolation. Rather, the DPRK has historically displayed flexibility in its approach to foreign policy, while consistently seeking to preserve its political system and diplomatic autonomy. North Korea has developed different policies regarding diplomatic outreach in the context of the changing geopolitical environment, and has established relations with a large number of countries, with the notable exceptions of Japan and the United States (inter-Korean relations being a somewhat separate issue).

North Korea currently has diplomatic relations with 162 countries, as well as with the EU and the Palestinian Authority.  North Korea has embassies in forty-two of these countries, as well as diplomatic missions to UN offices in New York, Geneva, and Paris. Twenty-four countries have embassies in Pyongyang (China and Russia also have consulates in the northeastern city of Chongjin).  The majority of countries that have diplomatic relations with the DPRK base diplomatic staff handling North Korea at their embassies in Beijing; some are also based at embassies in Seoul.

Countries with diplomatic relations with North Korea (as of June 2012)[iv]

From 1948 to 1950s: Limited Diplomatic Relationships

Upon their establishment as independent states in 1948, both the Republic of Korea and Democratic People’s Republic of Korea claimed to be the sole legitimate representative of the Korean Peninsula. The ROK was recognized by the UN and several Western states after declaring independence in 1948, while the DPRK initially established relations with fellow Marxist states. The Soviet Union was intimately involved in the establishment and early years of the DPRK, while the Chinese intervention in the Korean War led to a relationship that Mao Zedong declared to be “as close as lips and teeth.” After the end of the Korean War in 1953, North Korea focused on internal reconstruction rather than foreign affairs, not establishing further diplomatic relations until 1958.[vi]

Late-1950s through 1960s: Declaring Autonomous Diplomacy

Two factors affected the DPRK’s approach to foreign policy in the decades after the Korean War: the split between the Soviet Union and China, and the emergence of post-colonial states and the Non-Aligned Movement.

After Stalin’s death, as the Soviet Union promoted peaceful coexistence with the United States under Nikita Khrushchev, the DPRK at first joined China in denouncing Soviet “revisionism.” However, after the launch of the Cultural Revolution in China, North Korea moved toward a closer relationship with the Soviet Union.[vii] The DPRK continued a policy of balancing their relationship with the two communist powers throughout the Cold War, often attempting to play one against the other.

Although neither North nor South Korea was invited to the 1955 Bandung Conference, which established the foundation for the Non-Aligned Movement, the DPRK responded positively to burgeoning third-world solidarity. At a Korean Workers’ Party meeting in April 1956, Kim Il Sung announced his intention to develop diplomatic relations with countries of different social systems.[viii] North Korean relations with a non-Marxist regime were first established with the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) in 1958, as the FLN was in the midst of its war against French rule. In the 1960s, as many newly independent nations joined the UN, the DPRK expanded its diplomatic relations, particularly in Africa. By the late 1960s, South Korea ended its policy of maintaining diplomatic ties only with countries that did not recognize the North, allowing the scope of diplomatic outreach for both Koreas to expand.[ix]

1970s: Expanded Diplomatic Outreach

As Third World countries increased their influence in the arena of world politics and Soviet–American détente created new opportunities for countries in both blocs, North Korea declared 1972 a year of diplomacy.[x] The DPRK used a two-part diplomatic strategy: first, it continued reaching out to third world countries where China had already established economic and diplomatic influence, particularly in Africa.[xi] Second, North Korea established diplomatic relations with some European countries in an effort to develop its economy and expand its foreign ties. Unlike China, which established new ties across a broad political spectrum, North Korea concentrated its diplomatic efforts on European countries with strong left-wing parties such as Portugal and Denmark, and on neutral countries such as Austria and Switzerland.[xii]

During this period, North Korea also joined some international organizations such as the World Health Organization. In 1975, the DPRK was admitted to the Non-Aligned Movement, to the exclusion of South Korea. Additionally, North Korea established observer missions to the United Nations, although it rejected South Korean proposals to jointly enter the UN as full members.[xiii]

As a result of its diplomatic activity, North Korea established relations with 63 countries in a decade. However, by the late 1970s, momentum lagged, caused by tense inter-Korean relations, the North’s default on foreign loans, and reports of drug smuggling by its diplomats (in 1976-77, North Korean diplomats were accused of smuggling drugs into countries as far-ranging as Norway, Venezuela, and India.)[xiv] Additionally, North Korea’s support for revolutionary groups, and rightward shifts in the internal politics of foreign governments, led to several countries temporarily or permanently suspending their relationships with the DPRK during this period.[xv]