N. Korea's Kim congratulates Xi's 73rd birthday with message, flowers

North Korea leader Kim Jong-un, right, shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Pyongyang Sunan International Airport in this photo carried by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency June 9. Yonhap

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a congratulatory message and flower basket to Chinese President Xi Jinping on his 73rd birthday, Pyongyang's state media said Tuesday.

Kim wished Xi "good health and greater success in leading the cause of socialist construction in China" in the message delivered the previous day through North Korea's ambassador to China, the Korean Central News Agency reported.

A ribbon on the flower basket read, "I warmly congratulate Comrade General Secretary Xi Jinping on your birthday," according to the report.

The gesture follows Xi's two-day state visit to Pyongyang last week, his first trip to North Korea in nearly seven years.

During the visit, the two agreed to deepen cooperation across politics, economy and culture, pledging to strengthen high-level communication and open a new chapter in bilateral relations.