Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has congratulated North Korea on its rocket launch and expressed hopes for even warmer ties, Pyongyang's official news agency said Tuesday. It said Mugabe made the comments Monday during a meeting with the North's visiting de facto head of state Kim Yong-Nam.
"Congratulating the DPRK (North Korea) on its achievements including the successful satellite launch, he said that these are giving confidence and courage to the Zimbabweans," the Korean Central News Agency reported. The North says it put a satellite into orbit on April 5, while other nations say it was a disguised ballistic missile test.
"At the talks Mugabe said that he boundlessly reveres President Kim Il-Sung who rendered full support and encouragement to the Zimbabwean people's struggle for national liberation and their building of a new society," the agency reported.
The North's founding president Kim Il-Sung in 1981 sent troops to train a Zimbabwean army brigade which was accused of widespread atrocities against Mugabe's opponents in Matabeleland. The two sides discussed improving "long-standing relations of friendship and co-operation," the North's official agency reported. At a banquet in the Koreans' honour, Kim expressed opposition to all sanctions against Zimbabwe, it said.