US: "Kim Jong-un, a Good Sign of Comfort for President Trump"

Naver U.S. Department of State Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asia and Pacific Remarks
"North Korea's First Upward Move in 19 Years"

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] A senior U.S. official evaluated North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un's recent expression of sympathy for President Donald Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis as a "good sign."

Mark Naper, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific, said on the 8th (local time) during a virtual seminar hosted by the U.S. think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), "I think it is a good sign that Chairman Kim is watching the U.S. leader and expressing concern for his (health)."

This is the first time a U.S. government official has responded to Chairman Kim's expression of sympathy. Previously, Chairman Kim said about President Trump, "I sincerely hope you recover quickly" and "You will surely overcome this."

Deputy Assistant Secretary Naper also attached significance to the fact that North Korea had previously publicly expressed condolences toward the U.S. only during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He added, "I continue to hope that the spirit of the Singapore Joint Statement between the North Korean and U.S. leaders, the normalization and transformation of North Korea-U.S. relations, will bring peace to the Korean Peninsula and realize the goal of improving inter-Korean relations."

However, he also emphasized the existing position that "pressure will continue until North Korea responds to the international community's will and resolves its nuclear and ballistic missile programs."

Deputy Assistant Secretary Naper said regarding South Korea's proposed 'Alliance Dialogue,' "We continue to view it positively, but nothing has been decided yet."

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