North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a message of condolences to Vietnam regarding the passing of Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trọng, who was considered the country's most powerful politician.

According to the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) on Saturday, Kim, also on behalf of the ruling Workers' Party, the regime and the North Korean people, expressed condolences to the Communist Party's central committee, the Vietnamese government, its people and the bereaved family.

Referring to Trọng as a "comrade" who upheld ideas and wishes of former President of North Vietnam Ho Chi Minh, Kim credited Trọng for his commitment toward a fight for the country's strengthening development and public welfare.

The North Korean leader, who met with Trọng during his 2019 visit to Hanoi for the North Korea-U.S. summit, said the Vietnamese leader had made big efforts toward transcending and developing the friendly cooperative ties between North Korea and Vietnam.

The Vietnamese Communist Party announced that Trọng died on Friday due to old age and serious illness.