Kim Yo-jong: "Trump sent a letter to Kim Jong-un... expressing willingness to cooperate on COVID-19"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Dong-pyo] U.S. President Donald Trump sent a letter to North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un expressing his willingness to cooperate on COVID-19 prevention measures.

On the 22nd, Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director of the Workers' Party and sister of North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un, issued a statement saying, "We have received a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump addressed to Comrade Kim Jong-un," according to the Korean Central News Agency.

Although Kim Yo-jong did not disclose the date the letter was received, she stated, "President Trump explained his ideas to promote North Korea-U.S. relations in the letter" and also expressed his willingness to cooperate with the North on COVID-19 prevention.

She continued, "President Trump mentioned that he has had difficulty conveying his thoughts due to infrequent recent communication with Chairman Kim, and conveyed his hope to maintain close contact with the State Affairs Commission Chairman going forward."

Kim Yo-jong said, "This letter from President Trump is a clear example demonstrating the special and strong friendship with Chairman Kim Jong-un," and added that Chairman Kim also reaffirmed their friendly relationship and expressed gratitude for the warm letter from the President.

However, Kim Yo-jong cautioned against expecting North Korea-U.S. relations solely based on the personal friendship between the two leaders, stating, "If fairness and balance are not guaranteed and unilateral and overambitious ideas are not abandoned, the relationship between the two countries will continue to deteriorate."

The U.S. State Department has publicly expressed several times its willingness to provide humanitarian aid to assist North Korea's COVID-19 response.

Additionally, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated in a Fox News radio interview on the 18th (local time) that "humanitarian aid was offered to North Korea and Iran regarding COVID-19."

In this context, since President Trump sent a letter to Chairman Kim Jong-un directly expressing willingness to cooperate on COVID-19 prevention, there is a possibility that North Korea and the U.S. may seek to resume dialogue using COVID-19 prevention as a link.

However, as Kim Yo-jong stated in her statement, "It is not good to be overly optimistic about how much personal friendship between the leaders can drive bilateral relations," the North Korea-U.S. relationship, which has been deadlocked for over a year since the breakdown of the Hanoi summit, does not seem likely to show immediate progress.

This statement by Kim Yo-jong is the second since the one issued after North Korea's artillery combat training on the 3rd, which was claimed to be a self-defensive measure, and criticized the Blue House for expressing concern over the training.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.