While North Korea extensively reported on the exchange of congratulatory messages between Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the end of last year and the start of this year, it briefly handled the New Year's greeting sent to Chinese President Xi Jinping by grouping it with those to other heads of state. As President Lee Jae-myung declared a "full restoration of relations" with Xi and paid a state visit to China as his first diplomatic schedule of the new year, assessments say that the North Korea-China relationship, which appeared to be recovering last year, has not yet fully returned to normal.
The Labor Party's organ Rodong Sinmun reported on the 18th that the Chairperson "sent New Year's greetings to leaders of parties and heads of state of several countries," and said letters were sent to heads of state and key figures including the "president of the People's Republic of China, who is the general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, and his wife," as well as Vietnam, Singapore, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Belarus and Algeria. It omitted the names of Xi and his wife, mentioning only their titles, and did not disclose the specific contents of the greetings.
Rodong Sinmun also reported on the 1st that the Xi couple sent New Year's greetings to the Chairperson, but mentioned only their titles and grouped them with other leaders. It did not mention the contents of the greetings at that time, either. This contrasts with when North Korea and China were in close alignment and North Korea treated messages exchanged with Xi separately and with greater weight. Although in September last year the Chairperson visited Beijing for the "80th anniversary of China's victory day" and held a summit with Xi, indicating closeness, considering this New Year's coverage approach, the prevailing view is that it revealed some distance in North Korea-China relations.
In particular, it is also a point of comparison with the detailed disclosure of various letters exchanged between the Chairperson and President Putin. Earlier, on Dec. 18, Rodong Sinmun reported the New Year's greeting President Putin sent to the Chairperson, and on the 27th of the same month, it published the full text of the reply sent by the Chairperson.