North Korea sends condolences to Britain after Manchester attack

May 25 (UPI) -- North Korea sent a letter of condolence to British Prime Minister Theresa May, stating the Kim Jong Un regime "shares the pain of loss," after the bomb blast in Manchester.

The letter from Premier of North Korea Pak Pong Ju, following the attack that killed 22 people, comes at a time when the United States is considering relisting North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism.

North Korea has been fairly consistent in sending condolences to countries following bombing attacks targeting civilian populations.

Pyongyang has previously sent clear signals it is opposed to acts of terrorism initiated by non-state actors.

In April, Kim Yong Nam, the president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, sent a letter of condolence to Russian President Vladimir Putin after the bomb blast in St. Petersburg.

According to Pyongyang's state-controlled news agency KCNA, the letter to May was delivered on Wednesday.

It was not clear whether leader Kim Jong Un had a role in the statement.

"The North Korean people shares the pain of loss with the people of Britain," Pak wrote, according to KCNA. "We hope the British government and its people will recover from this incident of terror as soon as possible."

KCNA also reported North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho sent British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson a similar letter.

British police have arrested eight men and one woman in connection to the Manchester attack, but leaks of photographs, including images of the explosive device and jacket worn by the suicide bomber, Salman Abedi, has angered British officials.

Britain may stop sharing intelligence with the United States following the "damaging" leaks, according to the BBC.