Kim Jong-Il

Russia will deepen its relations with North Korea by expanding the scope of bilateral ties.

This, according to the Korean Central Telegraph Agency (cited by world and Russian media), was communicated by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the leader of the East Asian country, Kim Jong-un, in a letter on the occasion of its liberation day.

The gesture makes Maradona the latest in a long list of global celebrities and political figures to be honored with an obituary in the Balkans, following the likes of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro, pop star Michael Jackson and actor James Gandolfini, late star of the popular US crime drama Sopranos.

Kim, who marks 10 years in power this year, promised to put "state defense capabilities on a much higher level, and put forth goals for realizing it" during the Eighth Party Congress, which began on Tuesday, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

When we visit one of the world-famous landmarks, we want to shoot it from all kinds of points of view.

The first organized tourist group from Bulgaria will arrive in North Korea in April. The excursion will coincide with the celebrations on the occasion of the 107th birthday of the leader Kim Il-sung  - the grandfather of the current country leader, Kim Jong-un.

China has confirmed that the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, has visited Beijing, where he met the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, and pledged his commitment to denuclearising the Korean peninsula.

Confirming several reports over the last two days, Xinhua state news agency said Kim had been in China on an "unofficial visit" from Sunday to Wednesday.

North Korea's nuclear testing and missile development program and U.S. opposition to it has recently turned into a credible threat not only to East Asia, but also to international security.

The United States on Jan. 1 sharply condemned a North Korean plan to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile and warned Pyongyang against "provocative actions."  

The toughly worded U.S. statement called on "all states" to show the North that any unlawful actions would have "consequences."  

North Korea announced on Oct. 30 it would convene a congress of its ruling Workers' Party for the first time in 35 years, reviving a forum last gathered under the rule of current leader Kim Jong-Un's grandfather, Kim Il-Sung.

Local elections in North Korea saw a massive 99.97 percent voter participation rate on July 19, state media reported.