Coming To The End Of His Term Of Office, South Korean President Moon Jae-in Gets Praise From North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un

President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un. (Wikimedia Commons/Cheongwadae)

JAKARTA - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has thanked South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who will step down after his term ends, for trying to mend relations, a rare gesture of goodwill but analysts say may not be enough to deter rising tensions between the two Koreas.

The warm words from North Korea to President Moon Jae-in, coming in a letter exchange less than three weeks before he leaves office to be replaced by a conservative leader, have signaled a tougher line on North Korea.

Analysts were skeptical, North Korea's message touted a broader improvement in relations, and warned that credit for Moon could be an attempt to portray his successor, Yoon Suk-yeol, as responsible for further deteriorating relations.

North Korean state media were the first to report on the exchange, and North Korea's unexpected praise for stalled efforts by President Moon and his liberal government to get involved.

"Kim Jong Un appreciates the pain and efforts taken by Moon Jae-in for the great cause of the nation until the last days of his term," North Korea's state news agency KCNA reported.

The exchange of letters was "an expression of their deep trust", he said.

President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un. (Wikimedia Commons/Cheongwadae)

The letters come against a backdrop of tensions since the failure of the North Korea-US summit in 2019, exacerbated last month when North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), ending its 2017 self-imposed moratorium.

President Moon sent a letter on Wednesday, pledging to try to lay the groundwork for unification based on the joint declaration reached at a summit in 2018, despite the difficult situation, KCNA said.

President Moon's office confirmed he had exchanged 'letters of friendship' with Leader Kim.

President Moon said the "era of confrontation" must be overcome by dialogue, and inter-Korean engagement is now the administration's next task, his spokesman said at a briefing. In addition, President Moon also expressed hope for a speedy resumption of US-North Korea denuclearization talks.

As for Leader Kim said in his reply on Thursday, their 'historic' summit gave the people 'hope for the future', and both agreed that relations would develop if both sides made tireless efforts with hope', KCNA reported.

However, analysts question the true intentions of North Korea.

"This looks more like another step in building a pretext to blame Yoon for further escalation from North Korea, rather than an olive branch to Yoon or Biden," said Markus Garlauskas, a senior research fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank and former US national intelligence officer for North Korea. .

Meanwhile, Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said the letters could signal to Yoon that the door for cooperation was still open, and a potential seventh nuclear test by North Korea or other future actions would depend. on Yoon's approach.

South Korea's President-elect Yoon, who will take office on May 10, said he was open to dialogue, but greater military deterrence and a stronger US alliance were needed to counter North Korean "provocations".