On Tuesday, the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, visited injured Chinese citizens in the hospital and expressed his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in a tragic bus accident that killed dozens of Chinese tourists.
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Thirty-two Chinese tourists and four citizens of North Korea, formally known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), died when a bus careened off a bridge. Two other Chinese citizens were injured and hospitalized.
Kim Jong Un visited the hospital where the injured survivors were being treated, and said that North Korea would work diligently to treat the injured and work closely with China to ensure a follow-up. “The DPRK government attaches great importance to the accident,” he said, ensuring that measures would be taken “with utmost sincerity in mind to alleviate the pain of the bereaved families even a bit.”
According to KCNA, Kim said that the North Korean people should “take the tragic accident as their own misfortune,” and “that the unexpected accident brought bitter sorrow to his heart.”
Kim went to the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang to express his condolences.
The Chinese government has said that they appreciated the North Korean government's response, and Chinese President Xi Jinping urged “all necessary means” to be taken.
About 80 percent of North Korea's foreign tourists are Chinese, according to the Korea Maritime Institute. Chinese tourists contribute some US$44 million to Pyongyang's annual revenue.