South, North Korean Leaders Exchange Letters In Bid To Improve Relations - Moon's Office

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have recently exchanged personal letters and expressed hope for the improvement of bilateral relations, Suh Hoon, director of national security at the South Korean presidential office said on Friday

SEOUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th September, 2020) South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have recently exchanged personal letters and expressed hope for the improvement of bilateral relations, Suh Hoon, director of national security at the South Korean presidential office said on Friday.

"They expressed hope for the restoration of inter-Korean relations in the course of overcoming the current difficulties caused by the coronavirus," Suh told reporters, adding that the exchange was made earlier this month.

According to the official, in his letter, Kim apologized to Seoul for the North's shooting of a South Korean official from a fisheries patrol boat that entered the territorial waters of North Korea on Monday.

The North Korean leadership expressed deep regret about the situation, especially taking into account that the two sides have managed to restore at least a little "trust and respect.

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North and South Korean leaders held three summits in 2018 � in April, May and September � aimed at reducing tensions and increasing cooperation between the states. In particular, the talks were focused on the denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.

The leaders also agreed upon setting up the joint Liaison Office in North Korea's border city of Kaesong and using it as a communication channel between the two countries. However, it was demolished by North Korea in June 2020 due to the worsening of bilateral relations with Seoul, which, according to Pyongyang, had been unable to prevent North Korean defectors living in South Korea from distributing anti-North Korean regime leaflets across the border via balloons.