On Saturday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un promised to strengthen ties with Beijing, thanking Chinese President Xi Jinping for sending a team to Pyongyang’s “Victory Day” celebrations.
Kim praised Beijing for its assistance during the Korean War in the early 1950s during a meeting with a Chinese team led by Chinese Communist Party Politburo member Li Hongzhong on Friday.
The two sides reiterated their resolve to working together to confront the complex world situation, strengthen friendship and cooperation, and advance “socialist construction,” according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
Pyongyang marked the 70th anniversary of its Victory Day on Thursday, commemorating the Korean War cease-fire in 1953. A Russian team led by Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu also attended the occasion.
The Korean War began on June 25, 1950, and concluded about three years later with the signing of an armistice agreement, effectively stopping hostilities, though no peace treaty was ever signed.