Following a meeting with North Korea's Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Yong-il on Thursday, Burma's Deputy Foreign Minister Kyaw Thu said, "This morning we signed an agreement to restore diplomatic ties," AP and other foreign news services reported. No further details of the agreement were given.

A North Korean delegation led by Kim has been on a three-day visit to Burma since Wednesday. The delegation is also expected to meet with Burma's military leaders.

The two nations have over the past few years worked to restore diplomatic relations through routine talks at regional meetings, and Burma has reportedly been purchasing weapons from North Korea, AP said. Both countries have been branded "outposts of tyranny" by the U.S.

Quoting diplomatic experts, AFP said, "The two nations may have felt drawn together in recent years due to a shared perception they have a common foe in the U.S. and the West more broadly. There is an arms embargo on the Burmese military, so maybe the Burmese military is looking for (North Korean) arms systems using Burmese resources - like rice."

Burma has accused North Korean agents of masterminding the 1983 bombing that killed 21 people including four South Korean cabinet members. President Chun Doo-hwan who was visiting Burma on an official trip survived the attack.

(englishnews@chosun.com )