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| North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was briefed by Kim Yong-chol, vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party, who met U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington last week, the North's Korean Central News Agency reported Thursday. / Yonhap |
By Kim Bo-eun
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed satisfaction after reading a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump, according to the North's state media, Thursday.
The leader was briefed by a North Korean delegation led by Kim Yong-chol, vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party, who met with Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently in Washington, D.C., the North's Korean Central News Agency reported.
The report said Kim received a letter from Trump, and highly evaluated President Trump for his determination after reading the "great" letter.
"We trust President Trump's positive way of thinking and will wait with patience and good faith," he was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Pompeo stated his expectations for progress in North Korea's denuclearization process.
"I believe at the end of February we'll have another good marker along the way," he said, referring to the anticipated second summit between Kim and Trump. The remarks came as he addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos via satellite on Tuesday.
This was after he met with North Korean official Kim and also after officials of Pyongyang and Washington held working-level talks in Sweden.
Pompeo said "a little bit more progress" was made at the latter meeting between U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun and North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui.
"They were able to discuss some of the complicated issues towards achieving what the two leaders laid out back last June in Singapore," he said.
Lee Do-hoon, the special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs who took part in the denuclearization talks in Sweden, said the following talks would proceed at "rapid speed."
Park Won-gon, a professor at Handong Global University, said it appears all the options have been laid on the table.
North Korea's denuclearization steps could include verifying the dismantlement of its Punggye-ri and Tongchang-ri sites and freezing its nuclear activities, he said.
It could also dismantle its Yongbyon nuclear facility if the U.S. took the corresponding measure it wants, which is easing sanctions, Park said.
However, the U.S. has maintained that sanctions will remain intact.
"The countries could work out a deal such as North Korea taking these denuclearization steps and the U.S. allowing tours to Mount Geumgang to be resumed first," Park said.
Pyongyang has been calling for the resumption of Mount Geumgang tours and the operation of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex as corresponding measures for its denuclearization steps.
However, resuming the operation of the inter-Korean Gaeseong complex faces the barrier of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions.
"It is unclear which measures would be taken first, denuclearization steps or corresponding actions," Park said. "This will be worked out at the working-level negotiations that will follow."
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