Kim Jong Un said he will consider whatever U.S. President Donald Trump proposed in the latter's letter to the North Korean leader, the state news agency reported. The news came following Chinese President Xi Jinping's meeting with Kim.
According to CNBC, the state news agency confirmed that Kim received the letter. "Kim Jong Un said that he would seriously contemplate the interesting content" of the letter, the Korean Central News Agency revealed.
Kim's reaction to Trump's letter has raised hopes for a potential reawakening of negotiations regarding Washington's request that Pyongyang denuclearize. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said both sides are now in a "better place" after Trump's letter reached Kim.
"I'm hopeful that this will provide a good foundation for us to begin to continue these important discussions with the North Koreans to denuclearize the peninsula," he noted.
Kim's statements, as well as Pompeo's, came days after China's Xi met with Kim in Pyongyang. At that time, political analysts said they were expecting Xi to be a messenger for Kim in hopes of reviving nuclear talks.
It is unclear if Xi has a message for Trump from Kim but nevertheless, economists are looking forward to the meeting between China's chief and the U.S. leader later this week at the G20 Summit in Japan.
It is worth noting that North Korea and China are allies. The former has fewer alliances with other countries but China is expected to help the North Korean peninsula open up gradually to the rest of the world.
The February summit between Trump and Kim was expected to end all issues between Pyongyang and Washington. However, talks came to a halt abruptly, with no deal in hand, and tensions rising.
On Wednesday, a White House Official noted that the U.S. is not asking for conditions from North Korea before talks commence again. However, the government wants Kim's administration to lay out a clear path towards denuclearization.
Both parties have yet to confirm whether a summit between the two leaders will take place anytime soon. However, Trump will be in South Korea after the G20 Summit to carry out his scheduled state visit.
Trump will meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in during his visit. The purpose is to hopefully come up with a scheme to help encourage North Korea to allow for negotiations with the U.S. to be revived.
The North and South Koreas have a complicated relationship but the two sides have tried to meet halfway over the last few years, with South Korea leading the way in a bid to reunite families torn by the national war.
