The leaders of the two Koreas exchanged friendly letters
Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in on April 27, 2018 in Panmunjeom.
Korea Summit Press Pool/Pool via Reuters
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
In a correspondence, Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in, leaders of North and South Korea respectively, exchanged pleasantries and underlined their joint efforts to improve relations between the feuding brothers.
Advertisement
Read more
With our correspondent in Seoul,
Nicolas Rocca
It is an exchange of letters "a
sign of their mutual trust
", according to the North Korean state agency, which underlined the constant desire of the
soon-to-be former South Korean president
to improve relations between the two countries.
This warming of relations between the two men comes in a particularly tense period on the peninsula when the current South Korean president will soon be replaced by a conservative supporter of a very hard line vis-à-vis Pyongyang.
During these exchanges, Moon Jae-in stressed the need to overcome confrontations through dialogue.
For his part, Kim Jong-un recalled the historic dimension of the three summits between the two men in 2018 and opened the door to diplomacy by stressing that the situation could improve in the event of “
continuous efforts
”.
The North Korean leader "
appreciated Mr. Moon's pains and efforts for the great cause of the nation until the last days of his term
".
For its part, the South Korean presidency confirmed this exchange of friendly letters, affirming that Mr. Moon wrote to Mr. Kim that despite “
disappointing moments
”, they took a “
step
” to “
change destiny of the Korean peninsula
.
Tense atmosphere between the two Koreas
A message surely also intended for
Yoon Seok-yeol, the next South Korean president
who advocates firmness vis-à-vis Pyongyang.
But despite this rather cordial exchange, relations are very tense between the two countries after North Korea broke its moratorium on
the launch of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
And the calendar is conducive to escalation: joint military exercises between Americans and South Koreans began this week.
Training experienced as a provocation by Pyongyang which, for its part, seems ready to take the next step.
Either on the occasion of a military parade for the anniversary of the popular army on Monday, or with a resumption of nuclear tests, interrupted since 2017.
► To read also: In Seoul, tension is rising with the North Korean neighbor
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_EN
South Korea
North Korea
Moon Jae-in
Kim Jong Un