N. Korea's Kim offers rare praise for South's departing Moon
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SEOUL • North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has thanked South Korea's outgoing president for trying to improve relations, a rare gesture of goodwill analysts say may not be enough to head off growing tension between the two Koreas.
Pyongyang's warm words towards President Moon Jae-in came in an exchange of letters less than three weeks before he leaves office, to be replaced by a conservative leader who has signalled a tougher line on North Korea.
Analysts warned praise for Mr Moon could be a bid to portray his successor Yoon Suk-yeol, who takes office on May 10, as responsible for any deterioration in ties.
North Korean state media was the first to report the exchange yesterday and the unexpected North Korean plaudits for the stalled peace effort by Mr Moon and his liberal administration.
"Kim Jong Un appreciated the pains and effort taken by Moon Jae-in for the great cause of the nation until the last days of his term of office," North Korea's KCNA reported, adding that the exchange of letters was an "expression of their deep trust".
The letters come amid rising tension following a failed North Korea-US summit in 2019, exacerbated last month when Pyongyang launched intercontinental ballistic missiles, ending a self-imposed 2017 moratorium.
Mr Moon sent a letter on Wednesday and promised to try to lay a foundation for unification based on joint declarations reached at summits in 2018, despite the "difficult situation".
Mr Kim replied on Thursday that their "historic" summits gave the people "hope for the future", and the two agreed ties would develop if both sides "make tireless efforts with hope", KCNA reported.
Analysts questioned the North's true intentions.
"This looks more like another step in building the pretext to blame Yoon for more escalation from North Korea, rather than an olive branch to Yoon or (US President Joe) Biden," said Mr Markus Garlauskas, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council think-tank.
Dr Yang Moo-jin of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul said the letters could signal to Mr Yoon the door for cooperation was still open, and a potential seventh nuclear test by the North or any other future action would hinge on his approach.
REUTERS
