DPRK shows off message from Chinese leader

The DPRK's regime is making maximum propaganda capital out of a bland message from Chinese President Xi Jinping to suggest its international isolation is less than total.

The official KCNA news agency on Saturday said Xi sent DPRK's leader Kim Jong-un a message saying the ties between Beijing and Pyongyang are a "valuable asset."

Xi said he hopes to promote the welfare of both Chinese and DPRK by continuing to develop bilateral and cooperative ties.

DPRK watchers said the message was merely a noncommittal response to Kim's message the previous day marking the 95th anniversary of China's Communist Party.

On Friday, state TV also showed footage of Kim greeting a visiting special envoy of Cuban President Raúl Castro, and the state-run Rodong Sinmun daily also carried a front-page photo of Kim embracing the Cuban envoy.

(THE CHOSUNILBO)