ROK president exchanges letter with DPRK leader

SEOUL - the Republic of Korea (ROK) President Moon Jae-in has exchanged letter with Kim Jong-un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the presidential Blue House of ROK said Thursday.

Yoon Do-han, senior Blue House press secretary, told a press briefing that Kim sent his personal letter to Moon on Wednesday to "convey his message of comfort" to the ROK people who are fighting against the COVID-19 outbreak.

As of Thursday morning, ROK reported a total of 5,766 infected patients.

In the letter, Kim said he believed that ROK would prevail over the outbreak without fail, conveying his best wish for the continued good health of his compatriots in the South.

Kim showed his worry about the health of Moon, saying he will continue to quietly send his best wishes for Moon to overcome the COVID-19 outbreak.

Through the letter, Kim expressed his "candid" thoughts and positions on the situation of the Korean Peninsula, but the Blue House did not elaborate on it.

In response, Moon conveyed his gratitude through a personal letter to Kim earlier in the day, the Blue House said.

It was the first time this year that the leaders of the two Koreas exchanged letters.

In 2019, Kim sent his letter to Moon in October to console the ROK president for his mother's death, while Moon delivered his letter to Kim to invite the DPRK leader to the special summit between ROK and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held in the southeastern port city of Busan in November.