Trump writes to North Korea’s Kim, offers help in Covid-19 fight

Seoul, Mar 22 (efe-epa).- United States President Donald Trump has sent a personal letter to the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, as a sign of his willingness to boost ties and with offers to cooperate in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Information about the letter was made public by the leader’s sister and central committee member of the Workers’ Party, Kim Yo-jong, on Sunday.

The news of the letter came just a day after the North Korean leader oversaw the test launch of the powerful tactical guided weapon on Saturday, prompting criticism from Seoul in the context of the health crisis and amid the stalled denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington.

“We regard it (letter) as good judgment and proper action for the US president to make efforts to keep the good relations he had with our chairman by sending a personal letter again at a time as now when big difficulties and challenges lie in the way of developing the bilateral relations,” said Kim Yo-jong in a statement published by state-run KCNA agency.

“He (Trump) also explained his plan to propel the relations between the two countries and expressed his intent to render cooperation in the anti-epidemic work”, concerning the COVID-19 infections around the world, she said.

Kim’s sister added that Trump also “expressed his willingness to keep in close touch with the chairman in the future”, and that the North Korean leader appreciated the personal letter from the US president.

North Korea has so far not reported any coronavirus cases, but on Sunday, its main newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, urged on the people to keep at least one meter away from one another and avoid public transport to prevent contagion.

Despite highlighting the good relations between the two leaders, Kim Yo-jong warned that the relationship between the two countries “and their development should not be judged in haste” and “neither predictions nor expectations should be made based on them.”

“Nobody knows how much the personal relations would change and lead the prospective relations between the two countries, and it is not something good to make a hasty conclusion or be optimistic about it,” she remarked, underlining the need for “impartiality and balance” for further progress in ties.

Relations between Washington and Pyongyang have progressively cooled since the failed Hanoi summit in February 2019.

Earlier this year, Kim said he saw no reason to maintain the self-imposed moratorium on his nuclear tests and missiles to foster dialog with the US. EFE-EPA

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