Rodong Sinmun Sunday says this in a signed article.

It goes on:

The revolutionaries of the elder generation of the two countries provided the historic roots of the DPRK-China friendship and cultivated them to be strong in the joint anti-Japanese struggle.

President Kim Il Sung rendered unstinted assistance to the Chinese people in their revolutionary struggle, while leading the great anti-Japanese war to liberate the country.

The international obligation and friendship between the revolutionaries of the elder generation of the two countries forged in the days of the bloody anti-Japanese struggle have grown stronger and have been brought into fuller bloom than what used to be during the revolutionary civil war in China.

The unbreakable nature and vitality of the blood-sealed ties and friendship between the two peoples that grew strong in the anti-Japanese battle sites and the revolutionary civil war in China were powerfully demonstrated in the period of the great Fatherland Liberation War of the Korean people fought to beat back the U.S. imperialist aggressors' armed invasion.

The tradition of ties of friendship between the peoples of the two countries sealed in blood in the joint struggle against the U.S. and Japanese imperialisms has steadily developed on the basis of the particularly comradely trust and revolutionary obligation of the leaders of the elder generation of the two countries.

Kim Il Sung visited China to participate in the function for founding the People's Republic of China in Juche 38 (1949) and had his first meeting with Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai. Since then the leaders of the two countries made great efforts to boost the friendly relations between the DPRK and China, frequently exchanging visits transcending diplomatic practice and formalities, and deepening comradely friendship.

In the new century General Secretary Kim Jong Il paid several visits to China and Chinese party and state leaders including Hu Jintao visited the DPRK, deepening the friendly feelings and comradely fraternity and boosting the DPRK-China friendly and cooperative relations.

The strong DPRK-China friendship is the precious fruition of the energetic activities and devotion of the leaders of the two countries, concludes the article.