President Trump shared a letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday, praising the work being done with that country.
Mr. Trump said he received “a very nice note” from Mr. Kim on Twitter.
A very nice note from Chairman Kim of North Korea. Great progress being made! pic.twitter.com/6NI6AqL0xt
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 12, 2018
In the translated letter, dated July 6, Mr. Kim praised his relationship with Mr. Trump and said the Singapore summit 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 and the U.S. will surely come to fruition,” the letter said.
Mr. Kim did not mention any commitments to the denuclearization process, generally commenting on wanting to improve relations between the two nations.
He expressed his hope that “the invariable trust and confidence” the president has in him will be “further strengthened in the future process of taking practical actions.”
“I extend my conviction that the epochal progress in promoting the DPRK-U.S. relations will bring our next meeting forward,” Mr. Kim wrote.
Mr. Trump repeatedly touted that he shared a positive relationship with Mr. Kim, despite North Korean officials criticizing the U.S. in recent weeks.
On Monday, the president shared his confidence that the North Korean leader would live up to the agreement both leaders signed in Singapore.
I have confidence that Kim Jong Un will honor the contract we signed &, even more importantly, our handshake. We agreed to the denuclearization of North Korea. China, on the other hand, may be exerting negative pressure on a deal because of our posture on Chinese Trade-Hope Not!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2018
The message came after Secretary of State Michael Pompeo returned from his third visit to North Korea.
The secretary’s 48-hour stint in the country was aimed at outlining details for the denuclearization process.
North Korean officials denounced the meeting at its conclusion, accusing the U.S. of having a “gangster-like” attitude in negotiations. They threatened that commitment to denuclearization “may falter.”
Mr. Pompeo denied that the talks went poorly, telling pool reporters that progress was made “in every element of our discussions.”
“These are complicated issues, but we made progress on almost all of the central issues. Some places a great deal of progress, other places there’s still more work to be done,” Mr. Pompeo told them.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim met for the first time in Singapore to discuss the relations between their nations and potential denuclearization June 12.
Though Mr. Trump claimed on June 13 that North Korea was no longer a nuclear threat, just a day after his meeting with Mr. Kim, experts are not sure if North Korea is following through on the deal.
As of June 20, Sohae Satellite Launching Ground reportedly showed no signs of being dismantled, despite promises made at the summit.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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