DPRK RELATIONS WITH THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES, ESPECIALLY WITH THE AFRICAN
CONTINENT

 

Part of my final paper at the end of the Master in International
relations, on the DPRK Foreign policy.

 

by POP CIPRIAN, OFFICIAL DELEGATE OF THE KFA IN ROMANIA

 

Ever since the sixties, the DPRK has provided it's sincere and full
support, financially, logistically and with many specialists in different
fields to several Third World countries, mostly on to those of the African
continent.

 

Even more, the agricultural assistance programs for nations of the
Sub-Saharan Africa become a cornerstone of North Korean foreign policy in
the second half of the 70's.

 

After the year 1990, Pyongyang provided its positive support to not more
and not less than 62 nations--25 in Africa, 19 in Central and South
America, 9 in Asia, and 7 in the Middle East, as well as 2 in on the
European continent.

 

Even today, the international press recognizes the fact that North Korean
agriculture specialists detached in about 47 countries of the world have
had a very important contribution, both in preparing the local engineers
and in improving the main sector of some African economies. The visitor to
the Myohyang Friendship Exhibition will find himself in front of big
artefacts and paintings received not only from leaders of African states,
so distant people, geographically speaking, but also from simple people
who show their gratitude to the Korean help.

 

In Asia, the DPRK provided its help to the heroic people of Vietnam during
the war for national liberation and helped the people of the island of Sri
Lanka recover from devastating floods in 1970.

 

On the African continent the DPRK supported liberating movements from
Angola and Kim Il Sung and the Yuche principles of independence and
self-determination inspired the Liberation Front of Mozambique, better
known by the acronym "FRELIMO", which initiated an armed campaign against
Portuguese colonial rule in September 1964, being the the political
party which was founded in 1962 to fight for Mozambican independence, which
wasn't unfortunately achieved till 1975. However, poverty was widespread,
and the Portuguese maintained a policy of mandatory ("forced") labour up
until the 1960s.

 

In the mean time, North Korean agriculture experts were present in
Benin, Burkina Faso, Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, Mozambique,
Seychelles, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and in Zimbabwe.

In the 80's, Pyongyang was paying great importance to the South-South
cooperation within the The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the international
organization of states considering themselves not formally aligned with or
against any major power bloc.

 

In 1982 the DPRK has helped Guinea and Tanzania to create their own
agricultural institutes, and over 50 delegations from the Korean Academy of
Sciences have been present in these 2 countries till 1987 in order to
modernize their agriculture, as well as the tractor construction industry,
utilizing the Seungri license of tractors made in the DPRK.

 

Several African nations, such as Benin, Guinea and Zambia still maintain a
wonderful relationship with the authorities in Pyongyang and considering it
the only legitimate regime in the Korean peninsula.

During the decolonization process North Korea stood very close to African
nations, being the first non Arab nation to recognize the government of
Algeria, in 1959, when the first Algerian delegation was received by the
Great leader Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang.

 

Perhaps I should also mention that Ethiopia, the Great Socialist Arab
Jamahiriya of Libya and Algeria have been visited last year, in July by Kim
Yong Nam, President of the Presidium of the DPRK.

 

Great help was also provided to Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidalla, President of
the Salvation Committee and Chief of State of the Islamic Republic of
Mauritania, who even met the Romanian President Ceausescu Nicolae on 17
April 1982, while they were both visiting the Presidential Palace in
Pyongyang on official state visits.

 

Even more, according to the January 22 Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) --
Egyptian and Guinean figures issued statements in support of the joint New
Year editorial of the DPRK.

 

Youssef Amin Wali, vice-chairman of the National Democratic Party of Egypt,
in a statement on Jan. 14 said that the October 4 Declaration for
Development of North-South Relations and Peace and Prosperity is a banner
encouraging the Korean people in their struggle to achieve peace and
prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and defend world peace and security.

 

He expressed belief that Kim Jong Il would continue wisely guiding the
struggle of the Korean people to advance the cause of national
reunification with his unique Songun revolutionary leadership. Banou
Keita, former director general of the Kim Il Sung Institute of
Agricultural Science in Guinea, in a statement on Jan. 10 said that the
stirring reality the DPRK witnesses today under the outstanding Songun
leadership of Kim Jong Il is giving the servicepersons and people of the
DPRK great conviction and optimism that the day of victory in building a
great, prosperous and powerful nation is sure to come before long.

He expressed belief that under the leadership of Kim Jong Il the Workers'
Party of Korea and the army and the people of the DPRK would register great
achievements in building a great, prosperous and powerful nation and
accomplishing the cause of national reunification this significant year
marking the 60th anniversary of the DPRK.

 

In Africa, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea maintains Embassies in

Kinshasa/ Democratic Republic of the Congo,

Cairo,/Arab Republic of Egypt ,

Malabo/ Equatorial Guinea

Addis Ababa Ethiopia,

Accra/ Ghana,

Conakry Guinea,

Abuja/Nigeria,
Pretoria/Republic of South Africa,

Dar es Salaam/Tanzania,

as well as in the Capital of Uganda, Kampala.

LIST OF AFRICAN COUNTRIES THAT HAVE ESTABLISHED DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH THE DPRK

 

Algeria 25-Sep-58 3

Angola 16-Nov-75 4

Benin 5-Feb-73 16

Botswana 27-Nov-74 17

Burkina Faso 11-Oct-72 21

Burundi 11-Mar-67 22

Cameroon 3-Mar-72 24

Cabo Verde 18-Aug-75 26

Central African Republic 5-Sep-69 27

Chad 8-May-69 28

The Comores 13-Nov-75 32

Congo 24-Dec-64 33

Cote d'Ivoire/Ivory Coast 9-Oct-84 34

Egypt 24-Aug-63 42

Equatorial Guinea 30-Jan-69 43

Eritrea 25-May-93 44

Ethiopia 5-Jun-75 46

Gabon 29-Jan-74 49

Gambia 2-Mar-73 50

Ghana 28-Dec-64 53

Guinea 8-Oct-58 56

Guinea-Bissau 16-Mar-74 57

Lesotho 19-Apr-80 75

Liberia 3-Jul-75 76

Libya 16-Jul-75 77

Madagascar 16-Nov-72 82

Malawi 25-Jun-82 83

Mali 31-Oct-60 86

Mauritania 12-Nov-64 88

Mongolia 15-Oct-48 91

Morocco 13-Feb-89 92

Mozambique 25-Jun-75 93

Namibia 22-Mar-90 94

Niger 6-Sep-74 99

Nigeria 25-Mai-76 100

Rwanda 22-Apr-72 114

Senegal 8-Sep-72 118

Seychelles 24-Aug-76 119

Sierra Leone 14-Oct-71 120

Somalia 12-Apr-67 124

South Africa 10-Aug-98 125

The Sudan 21-Jun-69 128

Tanzania 13-Jan-65 134

Togo 31-Jan-73 136

Tunisia 16-Jul-75 138

Uganda 2-Aug-72 140

Zair 15-Dec-72 147

Zambia 12-Apr-69 148

Zimbabwe 18-Apr-80 149