When asked to clarify whether North Korean diplomats had refused to accept a letter Trump sent to Kim, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a press briefing, "The president remains receptive to correspondence with Kim Jong-un, and he'd like to see the progress that was made at that summit in Singapore, which I know you covered in 2018 during his first term."
Earlier, North Korea-focused media outlet NK News reported that Trump had written a personal letter intended for Kim, but North Korean diplomats at the isolated country's UN mission in New York reportedly declined to accept it. The letter was said to be part of Trump's efforts to reengage in talks with Pyongyang following his previous photo ops with Kim during his first term.
Leavitt declined to elaborate further, merely saying, "As for specific correspondence, I'll leave that to the president to answer."
Regarding that, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here said on Thursday, "The South Korean government is currently checking further details through a channel with Washington," with a ministry spokesman adding that the two countries "remain open for dialogue with the North."
During his first term, Trump met with Kim three times and exchanged personal "love letters" multiple times, which often led him to brag about his "romance" with the North Korean leader.
Since taking office earlier this year, Trump has made conciliatory gestures toward North Korea, referring to it as a "nuclear power," suggesting a possible shift from his predecessor's stance on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
But Pyongyang has shown little interest in U.S. overtures so far, strengthening military ties with Russia instead.
reporter
Im Yoon-seo
lyseo0330@ajupress.com
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