North Korea's Kim sends condolences to China's Xi as speculation over Pyongyang visit grows

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a message of condolences to Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding a deadly coal mine gas explosion in northern China, amid speculation that Xi may be visiting Pyongyang for the first time in seven years.

“Upon hearing the sad news that a gas explosion accident at a coal mine in Shanxi province of your country claimed heavy casualties, I express deep sympathy to you, Comrade General Secretary, and the Chinese party, government and people, and to the bereaved families of the victims,” Kim said in a message sent to Xi on Sunday, according to North Korea's Korean Central News Agency on Monday. 

The message was published on the front page of the Rodong Sinmun, a state-run media of North Korea. 

"I heartily hope that the Chinese people will eradicate the aftermath of the damage as soon as possible [...] and the bereaved families will overcome their sorrow and regain a stable life," added Kim.

The deadly mine explosion occurred on Friday at the Liushenyu coal mine in Qinyuan County, Changzhi, Shanxi province, northern China, killing 82 people and leaving two missing as of Sunday, according to China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency. The accident marked China’s deadliest mining disaster in 17 years since a gas explosion in Heilongjiang Province in November 2009 killed around 100 people.

Experts noted that Kim's message differed in tone from the condolence statement Kim sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin following a Russian passenger plane crash last year.

At the time, Kim highlighted solidarity between the two countries' peoples by saying that North Koreans shared in the grief and sorrow of the Russian people, but no similar language appeared in the latest message to China.

The message also came as speculation grows over a possible visit by Xi to North Korea.

Observers inside and outside the government have raised the possibility that Xi may travel to Pyongyang between late May and early June for a summit with Kim, following discussions on Korean Peninsula issues during Xi’s summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Beijing on May 14 and 15.

This year also marks the 65th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between China and North Korea, which includes an automatic military intervention clause in the event of war.

Xi has recently met Putin in a summit in Beijing on Wednesday.

Separately, North Korea will convene a plenary meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea in late June for an interim review of state and party policies for this year, the Rodong Sinmun reported on Sunday.

The Rodong Sinmun reported that the Workers’ Party of Korea's political bureau adopted a resolution on Sunday to hold the second plenary meeting of the ninth Central Committee in late June. The plenary meeting is considered one of North Korea’s key policymaking bodies.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO [lee.jiwon10@joongang.co.kr]