President Donald Trump thanks North Korean leader; hopes to ‘see him soon’.
US President Donald Trump formally thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for returning the remains of the US soldiers who fell fighting in the Korean War which began in 1950, when North Korea invaded its southern counterpart.
About 55 cases of what are believed to be the remains of those American soldiers were returned to the United States. These were brought back home on Wednesday by American officials who had travelled to North Korea last week. Mike Pence, the United States’ Vice President officially received these remains on US soil at a military base in Hawaii. American experts examined these cases and concluded that the remains were likely to be American. The gesture of returning authentic cases was seen as goodwill on Kim Jong-un’s part. The VP said, “We see today as tangible progress to achieve peace on the Korean peninsula.” Pence, whose father fought in the Korean war, added, “I know that President Trump is grateful that Chairman Kim has kept his word, and we see today this tangible progress in our efforts to achieve peace on the Korean peninsula.”
Thank you to Chairman Kim Jong Un for keeping your word & starting the process of sending home the remains of our great and beloved missing fallen! I am not at all surprised that you took this kind action. Also, thank you for your nice letter – l look forward to seeing you soon!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 2, 2018
Trump posted a message on Twitter saying, “Thank you to Chairman Kim Jong-un for keeping your word & starting the process of sending home the remains of our great and beloved missing fallen! I am not at all surprised that you took this kind of action.” He added, “Also, thank you for your nice letter – I look forward to seeing you soon!” It had come to light recently that the North Korean leader had sent a letter to Trump in mid-July, saying he hoped for a second meeting; whether this is the same ‘nice letter’ that Trump is referring to is unclear as of yet. This was widely considered as the most successful aspect of their first summit in June, held in Singapore; since the process of denuclearization of North Korea is still underway.
At the end of the said first meet, Trump had floated the idea of inviting Jong-un to the White House. Perhaps, the letter was Kim’s way of accepting the invitation for a second meet. If things go their way, we might see a second summit in the near future.
*Neha Hardikar is a Research Intern at The Kootneeti
