North Korean leader Kim Jung Eun and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged congratulatory telegrams on August 15th.

North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency said on August 15th, "General Secretary Kim and President Putin exchanged congratulatory telegrams on the 78th anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule." The leaders of North Korea and Russia exchange congratulatory telegrams every year on Korea's Liberation Day.

In a congratulatory telegram, General Secretary Kim said, "The blood shed by the famous and unknown Red Army soldiers, along with members of the Korean People's Revolutionary Army, during the fierce battle to liberate Korea, has quietly permeated the fields and mountains of Korea, and they are showing their strength. The spirit of heroic sacrifice will be handed down to future generations along with the history of North Korea-Russia friendship. I firmly believe that our two countries will strongly support and solidarize with each other on the journey to further elevate and develop and achieve our common goals and achievements, and that we will always be victorious and undefeated."

On the other hand, President Putin also sent a congratulatory telegram to General Secretary Kim, saying, "On this special day (the day of the liberation of Korea), the soldiers and Korean patriots who fought together to liberate your country from the Japanese colonial blood rule. It has become a symbol of the bravery and heroism of the Korean patriots."

Adding "The tradition of goodwill and cooperation that was forged during that period of bitter struggle has become a solid foundation for the development of good-neighborly relations between the Russian Federation and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea."

"I am confident that we will continue to strengthen bilateral cooperation in all areas for the welfare of the people of both countries and to consolidate the stability and security of the Korean Peninsula and the Northeast Asian region as a whole," he added.