North Korean leader sends congratulatory message to Putin

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, visits a fertilizer factory in Sunchon, South Pyongan province, near Pyongyang, North Korea in this May 1 file photo. Korea News Service via AP

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Saturday, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, the North's state news agency reported.

Kim expressed the belief that friendly relations between the two countries would steadily develop and expressed hopes that Putin would achieve victory in preventing the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the North's official Korean Central News Agency said

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In Russia, the virus has killed more than 1,700 people and infected more than 187,000.

The message came just days after Kim received a commemorative medal from Putin on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of Russia's victory in the war, known as the Great Patriotic War.

North Korea and Russia have intensified efforts to strengthen their bilateral ties since Kim and Putin held their first summit in April last year in the Russian far eastern city of Vladivostok. (Yonhap)