U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he had received a “beautiful” letter from Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Trump told the press before departing the White House for Iowa that he received a “very warm” and “very nice” letter from Kim on Monday, without providing more details about the letter. Trump also reiterated his good relationship with Kim as well as the tremendous potential of the DPRK. Trump and his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are scheduled to visit Japan and South Korea in late June to discuss denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula with leaders of the two U.S. allies, U.S. State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said Monday at a press briefing. Ortagus also confirmed that Washington remains open to negotiation with Pyongyang while stressing the economic sanctions against the DPRK would not be removed. The denuclearization negotiations between the United States and the DPRK have been stalled since the second summit between Trump and Kim ended with no agreement in February in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi. Meanwhile, Kim Jong Un will deliver his condolence message and flowers through his younger sister to the funeral of Lee Hee-ho, the wife of the former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, Seoul’s unification ministry said yesterday. The DPRK informed South Korea through the inter-Korean liaison office in the DPRK’s border town of Kaesong earlier in the day that the DPRK leader will send his condolence message and flowers over Lee’s death in the DPRK side of the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom at 5:00 p.m. local time. The condolence message and flowers will be conveyed by Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of the DPRK leader. To accept the message and flowers, Chung Eui-yong, top national security adviser for South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Vice Unification Minister Suh Ho and Park Jie-won, a lawmaker of the minor opposition Party for Democracy and Peace, will travel to Panmunjom. (Xinhua) |