Cambodia–North Korea relations
Cambodia |
North Korea |
---|
Cambodia–North Korea relations refers to the bilateral relationship between Cambodia and North Korea. North Korea has an embassy in Phnom Penh; Cambodia has an embassy in Pyongyang.
The relationship started in 1965 when Cambodia's Norodom Sihanouk met Kim Il-sung in Jakarta, Indonesia. After Sihanouk was toppled in 1970, North Korea continued to support his government in exile. In 1974, North Korea built a palace for Sihanouk near Pyongyang. When the Khmer Rouge was removed by a Vietnamese invasion in 1979, North Korea supported Sihanouk in a new exile government. He regularly resided in North Korea until 1991 when he became King of Cambodia. When he returned to Cambodia as King, he took a bodyguard of North Koreans.[1]
North Korea currently operating several Pyongyang restaurants selling North Korean cuisine in the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, and Siem Reap. The North Korean embassy is located on Sihanouk Boulevard, Phnom Penh, directly adjacent to the Prime Minister's (Hun Sen) residence.
Cambodia has been suggested as an intermediary between North and South Korea. A North Korean trade delegation visited Cambodia in 2011.[2]
The Cambodian government paid tribute to the death of former leader Kim Jong-il in 2011 and North Korea, in return, paid tribute to death of former king Norodom Sihanouk in 2012.
References
- ↑ Strangio, Sebastian (14 August 2011). "North Korea's New Friend?". NK News.
- ↑ Strangio, Sebastian (14 August 2011). "North Korea's New Friend?". NK News.
- North Korea's New Friend. The Diplomat, Web. 26 Dec. 2012. <http://thediplomat.com/2011/08/14/north-korea%E2%80%99s-new-friend/>.