North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has watched a basketball game between his country's military team and the Chinese Olympic team, saying that the match showed their "deep friendship," the North's state media said Monday.

Kim watched the friendly basketball match between North Korea's Sobaeksu team and the Chinese Olympic men's team, together with key party officials, including Choe Ryong-hae, according to the Korean Central News Agency. It did not specify the date of the game.

"(The North's leader) expressed great satisfaction over the successful game they played with deep friendship, displaying admirable technique," the KCNA said.

The North's team won the game 82-73 after earlier beating China's team twice, it said.

In September 2013, Kim, known as an avid basketball fan, watched an exhibition basketball game in Pyongyang with former NBA star Dennis Rodman.

The basketball game between North Korea and China was held as their ties have been frayed amid the North's continued nuclear and missile tests.

South Korea's unification ministry declined Monday to give its assessment of Pyongyang's move to hold the basketball game with China.

But experts said that it could be a sign that the two countries may be attempting to see how willing the other side is to mend fences.

The exhibition game was held less than one month after Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Kim over his election as the ruling party's chairman.

"North Korea appears to be sending a message to China that it is also willing to improve ties with Beijing (by holding the game)," said Chang Yong-seok, a researcher at Seoul National University's Institute for Peace and Unification Studies.

Kim's latest move marked his first public activity related to China since July 2013, when he visited the cemetery of Chinese soldiers buried in North Korea who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War.

But analysts said that it would be difficult to expect the improvement of Pyongyang-Beijing ties and Kim's possible visit to China in the imminent future.

"To this end, North Korea should show its sincerity toward denuclearization or at least freeze its nuke program," said Kim Heung-kyu, head of the China Policy Institute under Ajou University. "Without this effort, it would be hard for the two countries to anticipate better relations."

Last year, signs of better ties between the North and its traditional ally, China emerged as Beijing sent its ranking party official Liu Yunshan to the ceremony to celebrate the 70th founding anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party in October.

But the prospect for their ties has become murky since the North's all-female propaganda group Moranbong Band abruptly canceled its December concert in Beijing hours before it was supposed to begin.

A diplomatic source said China had decided to send officials of lower rank to the concert in response to the North's leader Kim hinting that Pyongyang had developed a hydrogen bomb. (Yonhap)