Paektu Solidarity Alliance

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
December 21, Juche 109 (2020)

South-South cooperation is an international movement of the peoples of the developing countries, who gained political independence, to achieve economic liberation and realize full-fledged sovereignty.

The peoples of the developing countries, who had gained independence in the mid-20th century, strengthened mutual friendship and unity in the course of their vigorous struggle for building new societies and this in turn expanded and developed in the 1980s into the South-South cooperation destined for genuine independence and self-sufficiency.

The increased South-South cooperation based on the principle of equality, mutual benefits and non-interference in other’s internal affairs ensured that the developing countries and peoples could shake off centuries-old backwardness and poverty and achieve substantial progress in the national and regional development.

The South-South cooperation is now evaluated as making a positive contribution, far beyond the regional scope, to resolving international issues such as “Paris Agreement on Climate Change” and 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

The South-South cooperation – an international movement reflecting the desire of the progressive people for independence in the present world – becomes an important way for economic growth and sustainable development of the developing countries.

President Kim Il Sung taught already in the early 1970s that we, the DPRK, should help the newly independent countries even though we are not better off and ensured the provision of sincere assistance to many developing countries including Tanzania, Mali and Algeria in their efforts for building new societies.

It has been the lofty will of President Kim Il Sung and Chairman Kim Jong Il that the developing countries should together achieve prosperity by actively promoting South-South cooperation on the principle of collective self-reliance, since countries and nations cannot realize economic self-reliance and complete political independence as long as the outmoded international order of domination and subordination, a product of colonialist system, is left unrelieved.

It is the consistent position of foreign policy of the DPRK to invariably inherit and develop the historic tradition of South-South cooperation under the idea of independence, peace and friendship.

We will, as ever, continue to actively strive to further strengthen friendship and unity with the Non-Aligned and all other developing countries and to establish new international economic relations based on justice, equality and fairness.