North, South Korean Leaders Exchange ‘Personal’ Letters Amid Tensions

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shake hands at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, South Korea. Korea Summit Press Pool/Pool via Reuters

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has exchanged letters with the outgoing South Korean President and thanked him for his efforts in pursuing peace between the two countries, North Korea’s state media reported Friday.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is due to end his five-year term on May 10, after which he will be succeeded by President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol. His office confirmed Friday that Moon had exchanged letters with Kim.

“[Kim Jong Un] highly appreciated the anguish and efforts taken by President Moon Jae-in for the great cause of the nation until the last days of his term in office,” Pyongyang’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

In his farewell letter, Moon called on Kim to resume talks with the United States and make efforts for dialogue with Yoon, saying that “the era of confrontation should be overcome with dialogue,” South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency (YNA) reported.

YNA quoted Kim as saying in his reply letter: “Though much is left desired, my belief remains unchanged that if the South and the North pour sincerity is based on efforts made so far, inter-Korean relations can move forward as much as one wants.”

KCNA claimed that the two leaders shared the same view that inter-Korean relations would improve if both countries “make tireless efforts with hope.”

It also noted that the exchange of personal letters between Kim and Moon demonstrated “an expression of their deep trust.”

The rare exchange of letters came against the backdrop of rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula in the aftermath of North Korea’s series of nuclear missile tests, some of which involved intercontinental ballistic missiles.

President Donald Trump, left, meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, right, at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea on June 30, 2019. Susan Walsh/AP

Moon played a key role in mediating two meetings between former U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim in 2018 and 2019, as well as in leading diplomatic efforts to persuade North Korea to denuclearize.

South Korea has been pushing for a declaration to end the 1950–53 Korean War, which ended in an armistice, to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula. But North Korea insists that any formal treaty to end the war must first be preceded by an end to U.S. “hostilities” toward Pyongyang.

The United States has reiterated that it holds “no hostile intent” toward Pyongyang and expressed willingness to meet with North Korea for negotiations without preconditions.

In his final New Year’s address, Moon pledged to pursue an “irreversible path to peace” with North Korea until the end of his term, with the hope that the incoming government would continue efforts for dialogue.

Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential election candidate of South Korea's main opposition People Power Party (PPP), speaks during his election campaign in Seoul, South Korea, on March 1, 2022. Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters

Yoon has been described as being more “hawkish” than Moon. The conservative leader campaigned on a promise to seek a stronger U.S. security commitment to deter North Korean military threats, saying that preemptive strikes may be needed if Pyongyang displays signs of an imminent attack.

Yoon met with the visiting U.S. envoy for North Korea on Tuesday, their first meeting since his election victory last month.

The chief of Yoon’s policy consultation delegation, Park Jin, said on April 4 that South Korea and the United States have agreed to reactivate the Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group to counter “any North Korean provocation.”