Venezuela and North Korea to Deepen Ties Against ‘Common Enemies’

CARACAS — Venezuela’s socialist regime and North Korea pledged to deepen their bilateral relationship after diplomatic representatives of both authoritarian regimes held a meeting in Caracas on Monday to address “issues of common interest to both nations,” according to the Venezuelan foreign affairs ministry.

The meeting was presided by Capaya Rodríguez González, the Maduro regime’s vice minister for Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania, and Ri Sung-gil, the North Korean ambassador to Venezuela.

The North Korean ambassador previously met with Carlos Faría, the socialist regime’s chancellor, to “strengthen ties of cooperation and friendship between both nations.”

During the latest meeting between the Venezuelan and North Korean representatives, Ambassador Ri Sung-gil highlighted the “solidarity support” of Venezuela’s socialist regime for his country during what he described as a “siege by common enemies.”

“During the meeting, the diplomats exchanged their points of view on the world situation, highlighting the scenario in Europe and Asia, as well as the complex situation on the Korean peninsula, a product of the constant interference of the United States in the region,” the Venezuelan foreign affairs press release said.

Venezuelan vice minister Capaya Rodríguez “stressed the importance of continuing to fight for the full freedom of these peoples, as well as the need to promote cooperation projects that allow the economic development of both countries.”

The press release concluded by stating that both nations would continue working to deepen their political and bilateral relations “and in the near future make visits that leverage the growth of friendship, solidarity and cooperation ties” between Venezuela and North Korea.

North Korea formally opened its embassy in Caracas in August 2019. The opening took place months after the start of Venezuela’s presidential crisis, which erupted after socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro’s held a rigged presidential election in 2018, prompting the Venezuelan National Assembly to designate Juan Guaidó as interim president. 

In May 2019, North Korea expressed their support for Nicolás Maduro while denouncing Juan Guaidó’s legitimate presidency as “an extremely dangerous act of violence” and part of a sinister U.S. plot.

The still-ongoing political crisis saw the closure of embassies and consulates from countries that do not recognize Maduro’s rule as legitimate, including the United States, Canada, and Colombia — the latter of which recently chose to restore diplomatic relations with the Maduro regime at the behest of Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first far-left president.

During the official opening of the North Korean embassy in Caracas, Rubén Darío Molina, who at the time was Maduro’s vice minister for Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania, expressed hope that the opening of the North Korean embassy would serve to strengthen the North Korea-Venezuela alliance in the face of “attacks and threats from North American imperialism” which “sought to bring us to our knees because of our unwavering ideology and the desire to achieve economic and social progress.”

North Korea’s vice foreign minister Pak Myong-guk, who was present at the embassy opening, stated that North Korea “is constantly striving to expand and develop relations of friendship and cooperation with Venezuela.”

Pak said the partnership between the authoritarian regimes is “bolstered in the flame of a common anti-imperialist struggle for independence and socialism.”

Venezuela is the third country in Latin America to host a North Korean embassy, the other two being Brazil and Cuba.

The Maduro regime announced in October 2019 that it signed military agreements with North Korea in addition to “energy exchange” deals. 

In 2020, the United Nations investigated a potential illegal military agreement between North Korea and Venezuela that may have violated U.N. resolutions and sanctions imposed on the North Korean regime.

Both regimes signed a memorandum of understanding in November 2018 as part of the official visit of Kim Yong-nam, the president of North Korea’s puppet legislature, in which they pledged to expand political and economic ties between both countries:

A second memorandum of understanding on ‘sports cooperation’ between North Korea and Venezuela was signed in April. Both regimes pledged to support the “integral education” of their citizens to improve and preserve their “physical, intellectual, moral, and social” qualities, without specifying what that education would entail.