ISTANBUL

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended a ceremony commemorating the constitution's founding more than 50 years ago, the country's state media reported on Sunday.

Kim attended a national flag-raising and oath-taking ceremony at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang to commemorate Constitution Day on Saturday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

North Korea celebrates Constitutional Day on December 27 to commemorate the adoption of its constitution on that date in 1972.

Kim took a commemorative oath at a ceremony and raised the North Korean flag.

North Korean leader makes most public appearances in 9 years

Kim made the most public appearances in nine years in 2025, Yonhap News reported on Sunday, citing data from the Korea Institute for National Unification.

The North Korean leader made 118 public appearances by the end of November, according to the data. With additional state media reports covering activities from Dec. 1 to 27, the total increased to 131.

A key highlight of Kim’s public schedule was his international diplomatic debut in September, when he attended a large-scale Chinese military parade in Beijing alongside other world leaders.

He also engaged in five rounds of summit diplomacy, including meetings and phone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and meetings with the leaders of Laos and Vietnam.

In addition, he publicly received senior foreign officials and envoys on 10 occasions, among them Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu.

Kim sends greetings to Putin

Kim also greeted Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday in a message, stating that Pyongyang and Moscow's alliance "is a precious common asset to be carried forward forever."

“I have always felt boundless pride in creating and writing the great history of the DPRK-Russia relations, the long-term DPRK (North Korea)-Russia friendship,” Kim said in the message, according to KCNA.

North Korea’s ties with Russia have grown closer in recent years, including its deployment of troops in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

North Korea sent around 1,000 military engineers to the western Russian city of Kursk in August to assist Russia's forces in clearing mines laid during the fighting with Ukrainian troops.

The deployment followed an earlier dispatch of an estimated 15,000 North Korean combat troops to support Russia’s war effort, according to South Korea's spy agency, which claims Pyongyang lost 2,000 troops in the war.

North Korea and Russia signed a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2024, pledging mutual military support if either came under attack by a third party.