Context: Following his March 25–26, 2026 visit to North Korea, Aleksandr Lukashenko ordered the opening of a Belarusian embassy there and instructed officials to speed up work on a visa-free regime. Citizens of Belarus can now travel to 77 countries without a visa or obtain one on arrival. This puts Belarus in 58th place out of 101 countries in the global passport ranking. North Korea is almost at the bottom of this list, in 96th place. Only 35 countries can be visited by its citizens without a pre-arranged visa.
When discussing Aleksandr Lukashenko’s visit to North Korea, Belarusian state media emphasized that Kim Jong-un’s reception was particularly warm and almost unprecedented. For example, on March 29, 2026, Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov appeared on the CTV program Nedelya, where he said that the North Korean leader’s presence at Lukashenko’s airport departure was significant.
“We didn’t expect the visit to be so packed with the leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s serious, deep involvement in every stage, but that’s exactly what happened. Attending all the main events together and a personal send-off at the airport are exceptional things,” said Ryzhenkov.
However, in reality, Kim Jong-un only joined Lukashenko for some of the official events. For example, instead of the country’s leader, Kim Tok-hun, the First Vice Premier of the DPRK, welcomed the Belarusian guest at the airport. He also accompanied Lukashenko on a visit to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, the final resting place of former North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il. There, Lukashenko honored their memory.
The airport send-off also seems like a rather standard gesture. Other foreign leaders have already received the same treatment from Kim Jong-un. He also saw off other presidents: Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel in 2018, Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2019, and Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2024. Moreover, in those cases — unlike during Aleksandr Lukashenko’s visit — Kim Jong-un not only personally saw the guests off, but also welcomed them at the airport.
Another example of Aleksandr Lukashenko’s special treatment mentioned on CTV was his visit to the Kumsusan Palace. The broadcast described it as follows:
“Access to the Kumsusan Palace is strictly limited and requires a special permit. Having one is a sign of special respect.”
And that’s an exaggeration, too. The Kumsusan Palace of the Sun does hold special significance for North Korea. Kim Il-sung once lived there, and after his death, the building was converted into a mausoleum. Kim Jong-il was later buried there as well. However, for guests from friendly countries, a visit to the palace is a customary part of the program. Numerous representatives of the Chinese leadership, as well as the leaders of Cuba, Laos, Vietnam, and Russia, had already visited before Lukashenko.
Furthermore, the palace is open not only to “special guests.” Groups and school excursions visit it, as do foreign tourists.
Thus, Belarusian state media attempted to portray Lukashenko’s visit to Pyongyang as an indication of Kim Jong-un’s profound trust and respect. However, the facts show that many aspects of this reception were standard for other North Korean guests and were not unique to the Belarusian politician.
The Weekly Top Fake team has already debunked a similar hoax regarding the exclusivity of Lukashenko’s visit to North Korea. On March 26, 2026, political scientist Andrei Lazutkin described it as an almost unprecedented event on the Aktualnyi mikrofon show on Belarus Radio’s First National Channel.