Namibia–North Korea relations refers to the current and historical relationship between

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Neither country maintains an embassy in their respective capitals, although DPRK formerly had one in

Windhoek Windhoek (, , ) is the capital and largest city of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level, almost exactly at the country's geographical centre. The population of Windhoek in 202 ...

, which closed down in 1994.

History

During the

Namibian War of Independence The South African Border War, also known as the Namibian War of Independence, and sometimes denoted in South Africa as the Angolan Bush War, was a largely asymmetric conflict that occurred in Namibia (then South West Africa), Zambia, and An ...

, the DPRK provided significant support for the

People's Liberation Army of Namibia The People's Liberation Army of Namibia (PLAN) was the military wing of the South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO). It fought against the South African Defence Force (SADF) and South West African Territorial Force (SWATF) during the Sou ...

(PLAN), the armed wing of the

South West Africa People's Organization The South West Africa People's Organisation (, SWAPO; af, Suidwes-Afrikaanse Volks Organisasie, SWAVO; german: Südwestafrikanische Volksorganisation, SWAVO), officially known as the SWAPO Party of Namibia, is a political party and former ind ...

(SWAPO). Like many other pro-Soviet countries during the Cold War, the DPRK provided material aid to PLAN, and from 1965 and onwards many SWAPO members went to

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 populat ...

to receive military training. Relations have remained close after Namibia's independence in 1990. The country's first President,

Sam Nujoma Samuel Shafiishuna Daniel Nujoma, (; born 12 May 1929) is a Namibian revolutionary, anti-apartheid activist and politician who served three terms as the first President of Namibia, from 1990 to 2005. Nujoma was a founding member and the first ...

, was especially close to the DPRK. In 1992, he received the

Order of the National Flag The Order of the National Flag () is the second highest order of North Korea, after the Order of Kim Il-sung and the Order of Kim Jong-il. It is the oldest order in the country, having been established in 1948, just six weeks after the North ...

, a high DPRK decoration.

Mansudae Overseas Projects Mansudae Overseas Projects is a construction company based in Jongphyong-dong, Phyongchon District, Pyongyang, North Korea. It is the international commercial division of the Mansudae Art Studio. As of August 2011, it had earned an estimated US ...

, a DPRK construction company, has been behind several expensive projects in Namibia – among them Heroes' Acre, a war memorial opened in 2002 in Windhoek. The physical features of the statue of the Unknown Soldier reportedly closely resemble those of Nujoma. The company is also behind renovations to Nujoma's private home, as well as several other major projects – among them the Windhoek Independence Memorial, the State House of Namibia, and an independence museum also featuring a statue of President Nujoma. Nujoma's successor, President

Hifikepunye Pohamba Hifikepunye Lucas Pohamba (born 18 August 1936) is a Namibian politician who served as the second president of Namibia from 21 March 2005 to 21 March 2015. He won the 2004 presidential election overwhelmingly as the candidate of SWAPO, and wa ...

, likewise remained close to the DPRK. In 2008

Kim Yong-nam Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese ...

, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, visited Namibia and met with the President. Several agreements between the two countries were signed, to strengthen among other things bilateral co-operation on trade, commerce, transport, energy and defence. Following the death of Kim Jong-il in 2011, the Namibian government stated that his death would not affect Namibian-North Korean relations. In 2012, it was reported that Namibia had contracted the DPRK to build thirteen "mini-state houses" in each of the country's regions for President Pohamba, a hugely expensive move which faced immediate criticism. In 2016, it was confirmed that military co-operation was continuing.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Namibia-North Korea relations Korea, North

History

See also

References