North Korea’s Kim receives ‘excellent’ letter from Trump

Seoul, June 23 

President Donald Trump sent North Korean leader Kim Jong Un an “excellent” letter, the North’s state-run news agency reported on Sunday, quoting Kim as saying he would “seriously contemplate it.” The White House declined to confirm that Trump had sent a letter to Kim.

It comes as nuclear talks between the US and North Korea broke down after the failed summit between Kim and Trump in February in Vietnam. Kim “said with satisfaction that the letter is of excellent content,” Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency reported.

“Appreciating the political judging faculty and extraordinary courage of President Trump, Kim Jong Un said he would seriously contemplate the interesting content,” the agency said.

South Korea’s presidential office said it sees the exchange of letters between Kim and Trump as a positive development for keeping the momentum for dialogue alive.

Trump’s letter also came days after Kim’s summit with visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping, which experts say underscored China’s emergence as a major player in the diplomatic push to resolve the nuclear standoff with the North.

North Korean state media said Kim and Xi discussed the political situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula and reached unspecified consensus on important issues. — AP