North Korean leader receives ‘excellent’ letter from Trump

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un received a personal letter of “excellent content” from US President Donald Trump, the country’s state media said yesterday, amid a nuclear deadlock between Pyongyang and Washington. Talks have been stalled since the collapse of a second summit between the two leaders in February after they failed to agree on what the North would be willing to give up in exchange for sanctions relief.

The two sides have blamed each other for the breakdown but both have expressed a willingness to meet again, with Trump saying earlier this month that he had received a “beautiful letter” from Kim. On Sunday, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that Trump had written to Kim, who “said with satisfaction that the letter is of 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 said. The front page of North Korea’s official Rodong Sinmun newspaper carried a photo of Kim holding Trump’s letter as he read it in his office.

In a statement the White House confirmed “a letter was sent by President Trump and correspondence between the two leaders has been ongoing.”