North Korea’s Kim Jong Un congratulates Queen Elizabeth II

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea says its leader, Kim Jong Un, has sent a letter congratulating Queen Elizabeth II as Britain began a four-day celebration marking her 70 years on the throne. North Korea’s Foreign Ministry announced the letter on its website but didn’t provide further details. North Korea and Britain established diplomatic relations in 2000 and have maintained embassies in each other’s capitals despite a steady decline in bilateral ties. North Korea’s relations with the West have worsened in recent years as it accelerated its nuclear weapons and missile development in a push to acquire an arsenal that could threaten the United States and its allies in Asia.