Editing Politics of North Korea (section)

== Foreign relations ==
{{Main|Foreign relations of North Korea}}
[[File:Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un (2024-06-19) 01.jpg|thumb|North Korean leader [[Kim Jong Un]] and Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]] in Pyongyang, North Korea, 19 June 2024]]
The foreign relations of North Korea have been shaped by its conflict with [[South Korea]] (officially the Republic of Korea) and its historical ties with [[world communism]]. The governments of both North and South Korea claim to be the sole legitimate government of the whole of [[Korea]]. The [[Korean War]] in the 1950s failed to resolve the issue, leaving North Korea locked in a military confrontation with South Korea and the [[United States Forces Korea]] across [[Korean Demilitarized Zone|the Demilitarized Zone]].

At the start of the [[Cold War]], North Korea only had diplomatic recognition by communist countries. Over the following decades, it established relations with developing countries and joined the [[Non-Aligned Movement]]. When the [[Eastern Bloc]] collapsed in the years 1989–1992, North Korea made efforts to improve its diplomatic relations with developed capitalist countries. At the same time, there were international efforts to resolve the confrontation on the Korean peninsula (known as the [[Korean conflict]]). At the same time, North Korea [[North Korea and nuclear weapons|acquired nuclear weapons]], adding to the concerns of the [[international community]].<ref name=":6">{{cite web |url = http://38north.org/2017/03/wmckinney031517/ |title=Understanding North Korea's Nuclear Coercion Strategy |access-date = 2017-04-28 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170506115104/http://38north.org/2017/03/wmckinney031517/ |archive-date=2017-05-06 }}</ref>