North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent Chinese President Xi Jinping greetings with what appeared to be restrained rhetoric that comes as Pyongyang moves closer to Russia and depends less on its long-time Asian ally.
Kim wished "the Chinese people greater success in building a modern socialist country,” in a reply message to Xi for his congratulations on North Korea’s birthday, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Sunday.
The 190-word dispatch had little of the florid language that had been a staple of their correspondence, which has declined significantly this year, according to an analysis by Seoul-based specialist service NK Pro. It noted three references of back-and-forth exchanges mentioned in state media this year between Xi and Kim, compared to 10 in 2023.
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