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Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean State Affairs Commission President Kim Jong-un. / Yonhap News

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin sent congratulatory messages to State Affairs Commission President Kim Jong-un on the occasion of North Korea's founding anniversary. Analysts observe that the occasion served as an opportunity for North Korea to showcase its elevated international standing through closer ties with China and Russia.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on the 9th, President Xi stated in his message marking the 78th founding anniversary of the North Korean government that China and North Korea are friendly socialist neighbors that protect and assist each other and share a common destiny. He emphasized that successfully defending, consolidating, and developing bilateral relations remains an unwavering and consistent policy of the Chinese party and government.

Referring to the bilateral summit held in June, President Xi added that Beijing is willing to continue strengthening strategic guidance over relations between the two parties and two countries, advance each nation's party and state affairs, consistently enhance the well-being and friendship of both peoples, and contribute to promoting peace, stability, development, and prosperity in the region and the wider world.

President Putin also emphasized the strengthening of strategic relations between North Korea and Russia in a message sent the previous day. President Putin stated that bilateral relations have consistently been built on the principles of friendship, good-neighborliness, and mutual assistance, reaffirming Moscow's commitment to continuing close joint efforts to further solidify the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations. Earlier on the 8th, North Korea and Russia opened a vehicular bridge linking the border cities of Rason and Khasan, a development expected to expand multifaceted exchanges and cooperation between both sides.

The congratulatory messages from President Xi and President Putin were featured on the front page of the Rodong Sinmun, accessible to the North Korean public.

In addition to the leaders of China and Russia, heads of state and officials from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Mongolia, Sweden, Belarus, Switzerland, Zimbabwe, Singapore, and Equatorial Guinea also sent congratulatory cables emphasizing bilateral friendship on North Korea's founding anniversary.

Meanwhile, senior officials of the Workers' Party of Korea and the North Korean government visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun the previous day to mark the anniversary. According to the KCNA, senior cadres from the party and government, as well as leading members of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, the Cabinet, central agencies, and armed forces organs, attended the visit and pledged their loyalty to Kim.

Kim did not attend the visit. Observers note that Kim's visits to the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun have been sharply curtailed as part of efforts to reinforce his monolithic leadership system and consolidate his independent status. In recent years, Kim's visits have largely been confined to the death anniversaries of preceding leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il.

                                                                                                            Mok Yong-jae