Medvedev expressed the hope that traditionally good relations between Russia and North Korea would "strengthen and develop in the future, making a considerable contribution to maintaining peace, stability and security on the Korean Peninsula, and in Asia as a whole."
After the defeat of the Japanese occupying troops in WWII, the Korean peninsula was divided by the allies, with the Soviets controlling the north and the United States controlling the south.
In 1948, two ideologically opposed Korean nations - the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) - were created.
The Soviet Union was the first country to establish diplomatic relations with North Korea, doing so 60 years ago. Most countries - except for the U.S. and Japan - later followed suit.
Growing tensions and border skirmishes between the North and the South led to the Korean War in 1950-1953. The two countries have yet to formally sign a peace deal.
A series of large-scale ceremonies will take place in and outside the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, including a military parade, North Korea's biggest-ever in terms of troop numbers and military hardware.
The 60th anniversary of the secretive communist state comes amid a deadlock in international efforts to disable the country's nuclear programs. North Korea recently announced it would halt the disablement of its nuclear facilities in Yongbyon.
"We have not yielded to pressure from the imperialists and prefer not to live in slavery," the North Korean Worker's Party said in a press release on Tuesday.
