SEOUL, Dec 9 (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has sent a message of condolence to Russia’s Vladimir Putin and sympathies to the embassy in the country regarding the death of Aleksandr Ivanovich Matsegora, Russian extraordinary ambassador to North Korea, state media KCNA reported on Tuesday.
KCNA said the ambassador’s “sudden demise” was a “heartrending event” and a “great loss” not only to the Russian government and people but also to the North Korean people, KCNA said, without mentioning the reason for his death.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry, in an announcement on its website, said Matsegora, 70, had died on Saturday.
The ministry described him as an “outstanding diplomat and patriot who made a significant contribution to the establishment and deepening of a comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and (North Korea).”
(Reporting by Heejin Kim, Editing by Franklin Paul and Ron Popeski)
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