Newly Published Letters Reveal 'Special Relationship' Between Trump, Kim Jong-un

Personal letters between former US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently published by a nonprofit organization of South Korean journalists revealed the "unique relationship" between the two.

In one of the 27 personal letters between the months of April 2018 and August 2019 published in the latest issue of the Korus Journal magazine by the Korean-American club, Trump commended the "unique relationship and special friendship" that they had.

This was in response to a letter from Kim greeting Trump on his birthday which also mentioned their meeting in Singapore which the North Korean leader described as "historic."

Another letter contains Trump's expression of gratitude to Kim for the repatriations of the remains of the 55 American troops who died during the Korean war between 1950 to 1953.

Even before the Singapore summit, Kim had already sent an April 1, 2018 letter to Trump stating that he is ready to work with the former US president “with all his heart and devotion."

On the same day, Trump replied that he was “happy to meet” Kim to be able to “drastically” improve the relations between North Korea and the US.

According to The Korus Journal, Kim was able to send two letters directly to Trump in September 2018 in which he expressed his desire to personally discuss with the former US president the potential denuclearization of North Korea.

The letter, however, excludes former South Korean President Moon Jae-in and former US Secretary Mike Pompeo. The magazine said that Kim emphasized that Moon’s interest in the matter is unnecessary.

Kim wrote in the letter, “The most important cause of what your side considers the headache of ‘missile threats’ and nuclear problem is the military actions of your side and the South Korean military that threatens our safety.”

“And until these elements are eliminated, no changed outcome can be anticipated,” Kim added.

Trump himself called the written exchanges with Kim as "love letters" and sent a total of 16 letters to the North Korean leader who in turn sent 11 in response. Excerpts of these letters can be found in Bob Woodward’s 2020 book, “Rage.”