North Korea Leader Kim Jong Un Sends Message of Sympathy to Putin over Massacre, KCNA Says

Reuters

11:26 JST, March 25, 2024

SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a message of sympathy to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the massacre at a Moscow concert hall and said nothing can justify “heinous terrorism” against human lives, KCNA state news agency said on Sunday.

Kim “expressed deep condolences and sympathy” to Putin and to the Russian people, the victims and their families on the news of heavy casualties caused by “a large-scale terrorist attack in (the) Moscow region,” KCNA said.

The message, which KCNA said was sent on Saturday, said “consistent is the stand of the DPRK government opposing all sorts of terrorism and nothing can justify the heinous terrorism threatening human life.”

DPRK is short for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Kim and Putin have shown blossoming personal friendship as the ties between their countries grew in recent months following the North Korean leader’s visit to Russia’s far east last year and Pyongyang’s weapons aid for Moscow in its war with Ukraine.

Russia said it had arrested all four gunmen suspected of carrying out the shooting on Friday which militant Islamist group Islamic State claimed responsibility for. Russia’s state Investigative Committee said 133 people had been killed.