Published on 1 October 2026

Bilateral Relations Switzerland–Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Switzerland is involved in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea within the framework of peace promotion and humanitarian assistance efforts. Within the framework of its good offices, Switzerland has on several occasions assumed the role of facilitator by hosting mediation meetings.

Key Aspects of Diplomatic Relations

Switzerland maintains regular political dialogue with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Switzerland is also a member of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC), which is a legal instrument aimed at preventing hostilities on the Korean peninsula.

Diplomatic responsibility for North Korea lies with the embassy in Beijing.

The DPRK maintains both an embassy in Bern and a permanent mission to the UN in Geneva.

Treaty Database

Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission NNSC (Korea), Swiss Army

Swiss embassy in Beijing

Economic Relations

Economic relations and trade between the two countries are on a modest scale. Switzerland rigorously applies UN sanctions against the DPRK through the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

Measures against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, SECO (de,fr,it)

Cooperation in Education, Research and Innovation

Researchers from the DPRK are eligible to apply for Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships.

Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for Foreign Scholars and Artists, SERI

Humanitarian Aid

In 1995, the SDC implemented a humanitarian aid programme in the DPRK to alleviate the suffering of the population severely affected by famine. Switzerland subsequently opened a cooperation office in Pyongyang in 1997 and for a time focused its activities on development cooperation.

Since 2012, Switzerland has been operating a strictly humanitarian programme in the DPRK.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the DPRK has been in full lockdown and inaccessible to foreign personnel. SDC programmes on the ground have therefore been suspended since March 2020.

Swiss Nationals in the DPRK

At the end of 2025, there were no Swiss nationals living in the DPRK.

History of Bilateral Relations

In 1953, at the end of the Korean War, the NNSC appointed Switzerland to monitor the demarcation line between North and South Korea. This was the Swiss Armed Forces' first mission abroad. In 1974, Switzerland established diplomatic relations with the DPRK.

Between 1997 and 1999, Switzerland hosted quadripartite talks between the two Koreas, China and the United States in Geneva. It also hosted three other important meetings between the United States and the DPRK on the normalisation of their bilateral relations and the conditions for a resumption of the six-party talks on the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

Korea, Historical Dictionary of Switzerland (de, fr, it)

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