North Korea's reclusive Stalinist regime has signed a non-aggression pact with Southeast Asia in a largely symbolic move.

The signing has no direct impact on the six-nation efforts to strip Pyongyang of its ability to produce nuclear weapons.

However, it is a rare sign of reaching out to the international community by the highly secretive and isolationist country.

The signing comes amid moves by North Korea to dismantle its nuclear program in exchange for economic and political incentives, including normalization of ties with Japan and the United States.