Top DPRK leader proud of better future for ties with Russia: report

PYONGYANG -- Kim Jong-un, president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), told Russian President Vladimir Putin that he is "proud to be able to expect a more excellent future of the bilateral relations," the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Sunday.

Kim made the remarks in a reply message on Saturday, thanking his Russian counterpart for sending a message of greeting on the occasion of the 81st anniversary of Liberation Day, according to the report.

In the message, Kim reiterated his "firm belief" that the army and people of Russia would accomplish the cause of defending its sovereignty, security interests and territorial integrity and building a powerful Russia under Putin's leadership, and wished the Russian leader greater success in his work.

The DPRK celebrates its Liberation Day on Aug 15 in commemoration of the liberation of the Korean Peninsula from Japan's colonial rule on Aug 15, 1945.