Korean leaders Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in exchange friendly letters even as tensions rise
- State media said Kim appreciated the outgoing president’s efforts to improve inter-Korean relations while Moon expressed hope for a restart of the US-North nuclear talks
- It called the move an ‘expression of their deep trust’ weeks before new leader Yoon Suk-yeol, who has vowed to get tough on Pyongyang, takes office
Kim received a “personal” letter from Moon on Wednesday in which he expressed his desire that the two Koreas make their joint declarations to establish “the foundation” for reunification even after he leaves office on May 9, the North’s official KCNA news agency said on Friday.
Moon also said the “era of confrontation” should be overcome with dialogue, and that inter-Korean engagement is now a task for the next administration, spokeswoman Park Kyung-mee told a briefing. He expressed hope for the swift resumption of US-North Korea denuclearisation talks.
In his reply on Thursday, Kim appreciated the “pains and effort” that Moon gave for the “great cause of the nation,” it said, adding the leaders’ letter exchange was an “expression of their deep trust”.
“Sharing the same view that the inter-Korean relations would improve and develop as desired and anticipated by the nation if the North and the South make tireless efforts with hope.”
The last time when the two men exchanged letters was in July 2021 when the North agreed to restore cross-border communication lines that it had cut off two years ago in protest against anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent from Seoul.