SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will visit China to attend China’s victory celebration next week marking the formal surrender of Japan during World War II, North Korea’s state media KCNA said on Thursday.

Kim is visiting at the invitation of China’s President Xi Jinping, KCNA said.

Beijing has been one of North Korea’s traditional allies and a major economic lifeline for the isolated state, though China joined other countries like the U.S. in applying international sanctions in 2017 on Pyongyang’s nuclear program.

Xi and Kim met several times in 2018 and 2019. Kim visited China in January 2019 and Xi travelled to Pyongyang and met Kim in June 2019.

Since 2020 and through the COVID-19 pandemic, relations between North Korea and China also likely soured over issues such

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