hankyoreh

South Korean President Moon Jae-in takes a phone call with United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan at the Blue House on Mar. 5. (provided by the Blue House)

Amid signs that the outbreak of the novel coronavirus could become a pandemic, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have exchanged personal letters. Given the long-running impasse in inter-Korean relations, a senior official in Seoul underscored the “significance” of the letter exchange, noting that it “reconfirms trust between the leaders.”

In a letter sent to Moon on Mar. 4, Kim expressed his hope that the “precious health” of South Koreans would be preserved and his belief that the outbreak can be beaten. Kim also conveyed a message of comfort for the South Korean public in their battle against the coronavirus, reported Yoon Do-han, senior secretary for public communication at the Blue House, on Mar. 5.

Kim “said he regretted he could do nothing more than voice his concern for Moon’s health and expressed his unchanging trust in and friendship with Moon while promising to quietly cheer for Moon’s triumph over the coronavirus,” Yoon said, adding that Kim had “expressed his candid position and thoughts about the situation on the Korean Peninsula.”

Yoon said that “Moon sent a letter expressing his gratitude to Kim” on Mar. 5. “We believe that this exchange of letters is taking place because [the two leaders] consider it important for both sides to pursue peace and do a good job of managing their relationship,” said a senior official at the Blue House.

Kim’s letter was reportedly not very long and remained at an abstract level rather than getting into the details of pending issues. The letters were reportedly exchanged through a closed-door direct channel between South Korea’s National Intelligence Service and North Korea’s United Front Department.