BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping offering condolences about the coronavirus outbreak in China, North Korean state news agency KCNA reported on Saturday.

Kim "expressed the conviction that the party, government and people of China would surely emerge victorious in the campaign to combat the disease" under Xi's guidance, KCNA said.

China is the closest ally that isolated North Korea has. The country has canceled most flights to China, imposed mandatory quarantine on all arrivals from China, and heavily restricted border crossings following the outbreak.

(Reporting by Se Young Lee; Editing by Frances Kerry)