North Korea's Leader Wants Improved Economic Ties With Vietnam: Kcna

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has expressed hope for stepped-up cooperation and exchanges with Vietnam in all areas, and for improving bilateral relations to a new level, Pyongyang's official news agency said Saturday.

The Korean Central News Agency reported on Kim's official visit to Hanoi this week that started right after his fruitless nuclear summit talks with U.S. President Donald Trump.

"Through active party-to-party and country-to-country contacts, we should normalize cooperation and exchanges in all areas ranging from economy, science and technology, defense, sports, culture, arts and publication and news media and upgrade the relations to a new level," Kim was quoted as saying.

"It is the unwavering position of our country and our party to inherit through generations the friendly cooperative relations between the two countries and the two parties based on blood," Kim added.

On Thursday, Kim met with Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong at the Presidential Palace of Vietnam in downtown Hanoi...