International

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a congratulatory message to Russian President Vladimir Putin for formally starting his fifth term as Moscow's leader, state media said Wednesday, amid deepening military cooperation between the two nations.

Putin began his fifth term Tuesday, extending his 24-year rule for another six years after winning a landslide victory in Russia's election in March.

"The respected Comrade Kim Jong-un warmly congratulated Putin once again on his inauguration as the president of the Russian Federation and wished him great successes in his responsible work for Russia and its people," Kim was quoted as saying in a dispatch released by the Korean Central News Agency.

The letter was delivered through the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang, it added.

It marked the second congratulatory message Kim sent to Putin on his reelection. In March, Kim sent a letter vowing to "bring about a new era of the DPRK-Russia friendship ... in conformity with the requirements of the times and push forward with the accomplishment of the cause of building a powerful country."