South Korea has said it conveyed a message from US President Donald Trump to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wishing him a happy birthday, which is believed to be on January 8.
Returning from a visit to Washington, South Korea’s presidential national security director Chung Eui-yong said Trump requested that Seoul deliver the message to Kim during a meeting at the White House this week.
Chung did not disclose what the message specifically said, but said Seoul sent it to Pyongyang on Thursday through “proper means”.
Kim last week opened the new year expressing deep frustration over stalled nuclear negotiations with the Trump administration and vowed to bolster his nuclear arsenal as a deterrent against “gangster-like” US sanctions and pressure.
The North in past months has severed virtually all co-operation with the South, while demanding Seoul break away from Washington and restart inter-Korean economic projects held back by US-led sanctions.
But the Koreas still operate a liaison office in the North Korean border town of Kaesong.
Seoul had lobbied hard for the resumption of nuclear negotiations, with Chung shuttling between Pyongyang and Washington to help set up the first summit between Kim and Trump in June 2018. But negotiations have faltered since the collapse of the second Kim-Trump meeting in February last year, when the US side rejected North Korean demands for major sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of its nuclear capabilities. Despite the standstill in talks, Trump and Kim have both described their personal relationship as good.
Trump has boasted about the “beautiful” letters he has received from Kim.
North Korea has never officially confirmed Kim’s birth date.
While covering a 2014 visit to the country by basketball player Dennis Rodman, North Korean state media said the former NBA star organised an exhibition game on January 8 to celebrate Kim’s birthday.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here