N. Korea reaffirms will to talk with U.S. by expressing satisfaction over Trump's letter: Experts
  • 5 years ago
It seems North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was pretty pleased with the letter he received from President Trump... and the North's state-run media are putting a lot of emphasis on it.
Our Oh Jung-hee has more on the message Trump might've conveyed and the reasons why the North is reporting extensively about it.
Excellent content that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was satisfied with... and will give serious thought to.
That's how the North's state media described President Trump's recent letter to Kim.
The Korean Central News Agency added... that Kim praised Trump's political judgement and extraordinary courage.

When and how the letter was delivered is not clear.
But it's likely this is a reply from Trump... for the letter he received from Kim on June 11th, marking one year since their historic first summit in Singapore.

During the past four months of deadlock in its nuclear talks with Washington, Pyeongyang has continuously called on the U.S. to change its calculations.
By revealing some of his positive comments, experts say... Kim Jong-un is expressing his will to restart dialogue with the U.S.

"Letters usually don't have detailed proposals. But through the letter, both sides are reaffirming their will to talk. The main issue here is to draw out a detailed agreement that couldn't be reached in Hanoi. The exchange of letters means there could soon be some high-level or working-level talks that could lead to a third summit between Kim and Trump."

The North is extensively reporting about Trump's letter, releasing reports not only through the Korean Central News Agency -- that's used to send external messages -- but also through the Rodong Sinmun and Korean Central Television, which target a domestic audience.
Pundits say this is to show North Korean citizens the legitimacy of Kim Jong-un's policy choices, by highlighting his personal contacts with President Trump... in addition to the backing he received from Chinese President Xi Jinping last week during their summit in Pyeongyang.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.
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