North Korea–Togo relations refers to the
current and historical relationship between the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...
and the
Republic of Togo
Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its ca ...
. Neither country maintains an embassy in their respective capitals, although North Korea formerly had an embassy in
Lomé
Lomé is the capital and largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437 ,
which closed down in 1998. The North Korean embassy in
Lagos, Nigeria
Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...
is accredited to Togo.
History
During the 1967–2005 rule of General
Gnassingbé Eyadéma
Gnassingbé Eyadéma (; born Étienne Gnassingbé, 26 December 1935 – 5 February 2005) was the president of Togo from 1967 until his death in 2005, after which he was immediately succeeded by his son, Faure Gnassingbé.
Eyadéma participated i ...
, father of current President
, Togo maintained close relations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), despite the Togolese government's pro-Western and right-wing stances. In 1974, Eyadéma visited
Pyongyang
Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populatio ...
, meeting with
Kim Il Sung
Kim Il-sung (; , ; born Kim Song-ju, ; 15 April 1912 – 8 July 1994) was a North Korean politician and the founder of North Korea, which he ruled from the country's establishment in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of ...
. On 17 September 1974, he broke off relations with
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
, and expelled the South Korean embassy staff from Togo.
During the
Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
, the DPRK provided significant aid to the Togolese government.
The
military of Togo
The Togolese Armed Forces (French: ''Forces Armées Togolaises'', FAT) is the national military of the Republic of Togo which consists of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and the Gendarmerie Nationale Togolaise, National Gendarmerie. The total military ...
also received training from North Korean military adviser teams deployed to the country.
American defector to the DPRK
James Joseph Dresnok
James Joseph Dresnok ( ko, 제임스 조새프 드레스녹, November 24, 1941 – November 2016) was an American defector to North Korea, one of six U.S. soldiers to defect after the Korean War.
After defecting, Dresnok worked as an actor in ...
's third son, Tony, is of partial Togolese descent through his mother, who was the daughter of a Togolese diplomat and his Korean wife.
See also
*
Foreign relations of North Korea
The foreign relations of North Korea – officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) – have been shaped by its conflict with South Korea and its historical ties with world communism. Both the government of North Korea and th ...
*
Foreign relations of Togo
Although Togo's foreign policy is nonaligned, it has strong historical and cultural ties with western Europe, especially France and Germany. Togo is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, exchanging High commissioner (Commonwealth), high commis ...
References
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
Togo
Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...
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