Retirement of South Korean president warms relations with North

After the North announced the news, South Korea's presidential office confirmed that South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un exchanged messages marking his retirement.

South Korean presidential office spokeswoman Park Kyung-mi said in text messages to reporters Friday morning that she plans to disclose it at a later time.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency reported earlier that leader Kim Jong Un received a written message from President Moon on April 20, and sent a letter of reply to Moon Jae-in the next day.

The North's KCNA indicated that President Moon touched on the efforts made by the leaders of the two Koreas for peace on the Korean Peninsula and inter-Korean cooperation under difficult conditions, expressing his intention to support making the inter-Korean joint declarations a basis for reunification even after his retirement.

 In turn, the North Korean leader expressed his appreciation for what President Moon did for the "great cause of the nation until the last moment of his tenure."

The two leaders agreed that inter-Korean bilateral relations will improve and develop in line with the aspirations and expectations of the two peoples, if the two sides make tireless efforts, the North's Korean Central News Agency said, while describing the exchange of messages between the leaders of the two Koreas as an expression of their deep trust.

 The two leaders have been exchanging messages from time to time since Chairman Kim sent a letter inviting Moon to visit Pyongyang through his younger sister Kim Yo Jong when she visited the Presidential Office in Seoul in February 2018, Yonhap News Agency noted.

It is noteworthy that South Korean President Moon Jae-in's term of office extends to 5 years, and is scheduled to end on May 9.

Source: Yonhap