Trump shares letter from Kim, touts progress in talks

US President Donald Trump released a letter on Thursday on his Twitter account, which he said he received from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and touted the "great progress" in bilateral talks between the two countries, a month after the two men met in Singapore.

"A very nice note from Chairman Kim of North Korea. Great progress being made," Trump said in a tweet that included a copy of the letter in Korean and an English translation.

In the English version, dated July 6, Kim writes that the June 12 summit in Singapore "was indeed the start of a meaningful journey".

"I firmly believe that the strong will, sincere efforts and unique approach of myself and Your Excellency Mr. President aimed at opening up a new future between the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea - the country's official name) and the US will surely come to fruition," Kim wrote.

"Wishing that the invariable trust and confidence in Your Excellency Mr. President will be further strengthened in the future process of taking practical actions, I extend my conviction that the epochal progress in promoting the DPRK-US relations will bring our next meeting forward," the North Korean leader concluded.

The letter's date corresponds to the day before the North Korean Foreign Ministry said that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's position during just-completed talks in Pyongyang was "regrettable", Efe reported.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on last Saturday that Pompeo had handed Kim a letter written by Trump, meaning that Kim's letter may have been a response to the US President, a few hours before the North Korean government denounced Washington for its "unilateral and gangster-like demand for denuclearization".

Despite criticisms from Pyongyang, Washington has maintained a positive outlook regarding bilateral talks, and Pompeo said Thursday in Brussels that he was confident that the North Korean government was committed to denuclearization.

--IANS

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