Coronavirus: North Korea’s Kim Jong Un sends letter to Russian President Putin

Seoul, South Korea, Beijing – North Korea says leader Kim Jong Un sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin to congratulate him on the 75th anniversary of the allied victory in World War II and wishing Russia success in fighting its coronavirus outbreak.

The report by Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency on Saturday came a day after it reported Kim sent a personal message to Chinese President Xi Jinping to praise what he described as China’s success in getting its COVID-19 epidemic under control.

Some experts say the North could intensify its diplomatic outreach to neighbors, particularly China, as it seeks economic help after closing its border for months to fend off the virus.

KCNA says Kim’s message “sincerely wished the president and people of Russia sure victory in their struggle to build a powerful Russia by carrying forward the tradition of the great victory in the war and to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection.”

China: Willing to help N. Korea in fight against virus

China is willing to offer support to North Korea within its ability against the coronavirus epidemic, state television said on Saturday, quoting President
Xi Jinping as saying in a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Xi said he was very concerned about the situation in North Korea and the health of its people, and said he was pleased that its efforts to control the respiratory illness had achieved positive results, state television said.