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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. (Yonhap News)

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sent a letter to the South Korean government thanking it for arranging the purchase of COVID-19 diagnostic kits by the US government.

Meeting with reporters on Apr. 28, a South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official explained that Pompeo had sent a letter to Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha on Apr. 25 “expressing gratitude to South Korea for arranging the purchase of 750,000 COVID-19 diagnostic kits for Americans on the US’ behalf.”

Following a telephone conversation on Apr. 24 in which US President Donald Trump requested assistance with diagnostic kits from South Korean President Moon Jae-in, three South Korean businesses exported a total of 750,000 kits to the US government. Pompeo’s letter of thanks appeared to be an official expression of gratitude by US authorities for the South Korean government’s efforts in arranging and supporting the diagnostic kit exports.

“Secretary Pompeo sent a letter essentially stating how South Korea had become a model to the rest of the world with its swift formulation of comprehensive response measures to prevent the spread and transmission of COVID-19, and how much the US has valued its cooperation with the US in the process of responding to the virus in an open and transparent manner,” the official said.

In his letter, Pompeo was quoted as having stressed the “importance of close cooperation among states in similar positions and private partners during a crisis situation for the sake of a swift and effective response.” He was also quoted as expressing his “gratitude to the South Korean government for responding so quickly and to the three South Korean companies for making such an important procurement possible.”

In an Instagram post, the MOFA North American bureau noted that in addition to his thank-you letter, Pompeo also “shared a tweet by US Ambassador to South Korea [Harry] Harris about Hyundai Motor’s support for drive-thru testing and donation of diagnostic kits and expressed his thanks.”

According to MOFA, Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs Lee Do-hoon spoke with US Deputy Secretary of State and Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun the same morning by telephone. The two representatives were reported to have “shared their assessments of the recent Korean Peninsula situation and exchanged opinions of approaches to bilateral coordination to achieve substantive progress with the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of permanent peace.” It was also suggested that the two may have exchanged information on the activities of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after his absence from the public eye for several days has sparked rumors of possible health issues.

MOFA explained that the two sides had “assessed the bilateral communication and discussions that are continuing to take place at various levels in connection with North Korea and the North Korean nuclear issue,” adding that they had “agreed to continue coordinating closely going forward.”

By Noh Ji-won, staff reporter

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