Seoul, July 30 (TIWN) North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited the Friendship Tower in Pyongyang, which was erected to commemorate China's participation in the 1950-53 Korean War, and laid a wreath to mark the 68th anniversary of the armistice that ended the war, state media reported on Thursday.

In a speech later, Kim stressed that "kindred ties" with China will carry on "generation after generation", Yonhap News Agency reported citing KCNA.

The Friendship Tower, a monument dedicated to the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) who fought in the 1950-1953 Korean War, was erected in 1959.

North Korea and China have emphasized their close and friendly relations amid stalemated nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington, and an escalating Sino-U.S. rivalry.