The stagnation of Japan-North Korea relations is evident from the congratulatory telegrams exchanged between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Chinese President Xi Jinping marking the ”Year of Friendship”

On the 6th of this month, China and North Korea marked the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. To mark the occasion, North Korean leader Kim Jung Eun and Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory telegrams, confirming the strengthening of friendly relations.
China and North Korea have positioned this year as the "Year of Friendship" and are publicly promoting their solidarity, but the sudden rapprochement between North Korea and Russia has heightened the friendly atmosphere.
"The two leaders also exchanged congratulatory telegrams five years ago to mark the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, but the amount of messages is smaller and the tone of the calls for friendship has become more subdued," Yonhap News Agency said.
On the 6th, the Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the Workers' Party of North Korea, published a congratulatory telegram exchanged between Kim Jong Un and President Xi. In it, Kim Jong Un said, "We have a long history and excellent
"Inheriting and developing the traditional friendship between North Korea and China is in the fundamental interests of both countries," he said, adding, "We will continue to make efforts to strengthen and develop this friendship in line with the demands of the new era."
President Xi Jinping said, "75 years ago, China and North Korea formally established diplomatic relations, opening a new page in the history of bilateral relations, which was an epoch-making event of great significance."
He emphasized that the two countries will take this opportunity to "strengthen strategic communication and deepen exchanges and cooperation." According to North Korean media, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also held talks.
The congratulatory telegrams were exchanged on the 6th. Foreign Minister Choi stated, "We will continue to develop the friendship between North Korea and China in the midst of a complicated international situation." Foreign Minister Wang stated, "It is the firmness of the Chinese Party and government that will strengthen and develop the Sino-North Korean relationship."
"This is an unshakable policy," he emphasized. In March 2018, Kim and Xi held their first summit. Since then, China-North Korea relations have remained stable on the surface.
In the telegram, he mentioned that 2024 has been designated as the "Year of North Korea-China Friendship" and reaffirmed the friendly relationship. In April, Zhao Leji, the third-ranked member of the Chinese Communist Party and the National People's Congress
The Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress visited North Korea and met with General Secretary Kim. General Secretary Kim commented that the visit of Mr. Zhao and others to North Korea was "very important for further strengthening and developing the traditional friendly and cooperative relationship between the two countries in line with the needs of the times."
On the other hand, North Korea has been rapidly drawing closer to Russia, and in June, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the two countries would hold talks on the issue.
President Putin visited North Korea as a state guest. It was the first visit to North Korea in 24 years since July 2000. At that time, President Putin held a summit meeting with Chairman Kim, and the two leaders discussed economic and security issues.
The two countries signed a treaty on a strategic partnership that includes cooperation in the security field. On the other hand, China seems to have mixed feelings about the honeymoon period between Russia and North Korea, and when the Russia-North Korea summit was held,
A ministry spokesman said only that the summit was a bilateral exchange between Russia and North Korea. In September, when North Korea celebrated its National Day, the difference in the level of intimacy between China and North Korea and Russia and North Korea was highlighted once again.
On the occasion of the National Foundation Day, Kim received congratulatory telegrams from both President Xi and President Putin, but President Putin had already exchanged telegrams with Kim several times this year.
While Xi had been receiving the message, this was the second time he had sent it since January 1 of this year. At the time, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported, "After the outbreak of the Ukraine war, North Korea and Russia have grown closer, while China
The United Nations reported that the two countries have become estranged. The United Nations pointed out the volume of congratulatory telegrams exchanged between Kim and Xi this month to mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and North Korea.
However, Yonhap pointed out that "Kim's congratulatory telegram has decreased from 809 characters five years ago to 497 characters, while Xi's has decreased from 435 characters to 309 characters."
In the speech, he called the two countries “respectful to Comrade Secretary Xi” and emphasized the friendly relationship by describing the friendship between the two countries as “unparalleled in any country, past or present, in the East or the West.” However, this year, there was no “respect” in front of Mr. Xi, and the content was calm.
In contrast to the 2009 event in which the friendship year was celebrated, there were no high-ranking officials visiting each other to mark the anniversary this time.
On the 29th, he sent a congratulatory telegram to Russian President Putin, who turned 72 on the same day, addressing him as "my closest comrade."