- s ung ' s ▁extensive ▁person ality ▁cult , ▁having ▁seen ▁enough ▁of ▁this ▁sort ▁of ▁thing ▁in ▁China ▁with ▁Ma o ▁and ▁also ▁took ▁um bra ge ▁at ▁being ▁expected ▁to ▁lay ▁a ▁w re ath ▁in ▁front ▁of ▁the ▁giant ▁gold - pl ated ▁statue ▁of ▁Kim ▁in ▁Py ong y ang . ▁D eng ▁reported ly ▁expressed ▁his ▁dis ple asure ▁at ▁how ▁the ▁aid ▁money ▁given ▁to ▁North ▁Korea ▁by ▁China ▁over ▁the ▁years ▁was ▁being ▁spent ▁on ▁stat ues ▁and ▁monuments ▁hon oring ▁Kim . ▁He ▁suggested ▁that ▁they ▁might ▁be ▁better ▁served ▁using ▁that ▁aid ▁to ▁improve ▁their ▁people ' s ▁living ▁standards . ▁The ▁North ▁Kore ans ▁appeared ▁to ▁have ▁got ten ▁the ▁message , ▁for ▁the ▁gold ▁pl ating ▁was ▁quietly ▁sc rap ed ▁off ▁the ▁Kim ▁statue ▁in ▁Py ong y ang ▁afterwards . ▁ ▁Trying ▁to ▁craw l ▁out ▁of ▁its ▁international ▁isol ation , ▁China ▁m ended ▁f ences ▁with ▁Y ug oslav ian ▁leader ▁Jos ip ▁T ito , ▁who ▁visited ▁Be ij ing ▁in ▁May ▁ 1 9 7 7 ▁after ▁having ▁been ▁long ▁den ounced ▁as ▁a ▁revision ist ▁tra itor . ▁In ▁October ▁ 1 9 7 8 , ▁D eng ▁X ia op ing ▁visited ▁Japan ▁and ▁concluded ▁a ▁peace ▁treat y ▁with ▁that ▁country ' s ▁prime ▁minister ▁Take o ▁F uk uda , ▁officially ▁ending ▁the ▁state ▁of ▁war ▁that ▁had ▁existed ▁between ▁the ▁two ▁countries ▁since ▁the ▁ 1 9 3 0 s