Kim Jong Un extends respect to Chinese volunteer army

Top leader Kim Jong Un of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Saturday paid tribute to the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (CPVA) for its role in his country's liberation, official media reported Sunday.

"I extend noble respects to the martyrs of the Korean People's Army and the Chinese People's Volunteers," Kim said in a speech at the fourth National Conference of War Veterans, which was released by the Korean Central News Agency.

Those martyrs, added the DPRK leader, "laid down their precious lives in the sacred war for the freedom and independence of the country and peace."

"I also offer my noble respects to the veterans of the Chinese People's Volunteers who fought shoulder to shoulder with our People's Army soldiers at the cost of their blood for the freedom and independence of the Korean people and peace in the East," he said.

The conference, held in Pyongyang, took place two days ahead of the 62nd anniversary of the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement, which ended the three-year-long Korean War in the 1950s.

"I extend warm congratulations to you on greeting July 27, the eternal v-day for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," Kim said at the start of his speech.

Also in his address, Kim reviewed the DPRK's "glorious tradition of victory" and lauded the outstanding contribution of late leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il as well as the heroic spirit of the DPRK military and people.

Tens of thousands of CPVA soldiers died on the Korean battlefield in what is known to the Chinese as the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, and their sacrifices significantly consolidated the profound traditional bond between the two countries.

The previous veterans conferences were held in 1993, 2012 and 2013. Endi