Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un / Yonhap

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a letter of sympathy to Chinese President Xi Jinping over a Chinese passenger jet crash earlier this week, Pyongyang's state media reported Tuesday.

In the letter delivered the previous day, Kim "expressed deep sympathy and condolences to Xi Jinping and the Chinese party, government and people as well as to the bereaved families of the victims, according to an English-language report of the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

A China Eastern Airlines jetliner carrying 123 passengers and nine crew members reportedly crashed in the mountains in southern China's Guangxi region Monday afternoon. There has been no report of any survivor.

Kim "sincerely hoped that the Chinese people would eradicate the aftereffects of the accident as early as possible and the bereaved family members would overcome sorrow and lead a stabilized life" under Xi's leadership, the KCNA added. (Yonhap)