President Trump wrote a letter to Kim Jong Un, described as “excellent” by the North Korean leader in a recent address to state media.
According to recent reports, Kim received a personal letter from Trump and is still reviewing it’s content. The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) posted a picture of a pensive Kim holding a letter, apparently written upon White House stationery. The report quoted Kim as praising its “excellent content.”
“Appreciating the political judging faculty and extraordinary courage of President Trump, Kim Jong Un said that he would seriously contemplate the interesting content,” KCNA reported.
#BREAKING
Rodong Sinmun: Kim Jong Un received a personal letter from Trump.After reading the letter, Kim “said with satisfaction that the letter is of excellent content.”
More soon @nknewsorg pic.twitter.com/APNJvhU6H6
— NK NEWS (@nknewsorg) June 22, 2019
On 23 June, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed that a letter was in fact sent by Trump to Pyongyang. Pompeo says he is “hopeful that this will provide a good foundation for us to begin, and to continue these important discussions with the Koreans to denuclearize the peninsula.”
Observers are pointing to the unique “letter diplomacy” that seems to have developed between the two leaders. Earlier this month, Trump told reporters about a “beautiful letter” he received from Kim, the first contact the two had since the February summit in Hanoi that saw both leaders leave empty-handed. The new line of communication between the U.S. and North Korea has given a bit of renewed hope to a reconciliation process that has been fraught with disappointment.
The content of Trump’s letter to Kim Jong Un is still under speculation. But the positive reaction of North Korea’s leadership strongly indicates there was, at the very least, a sincere reaching-out by the president, perhaps even suggestions of a new deal in Pyongyang’s favor.
