Office of South Korea's President Moon Jae-in says Kim Kong-un sent a letter to his counterpart in Seoul saying he wants to hold more inter-Korean summits next year to achieve denuclearisation of the peninsula.

This recent undated picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on December 29, 2018 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un waving during a photo session with participants of the 4th National Meeting of Activists in the Agricultural Field, which was held at an undisclosed location on December 25-26, 2018.
This recent undated picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on December 29, 2018 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un waving during a photo session with participants of the 4th National Meeting of Activists in the Agricultural Field, which was held at an undisclosed location on December 25-26, 2018.
(AFP)
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has sent a "conciliatory message" to US President Donald Trump amid stalled nuclear negotiations, South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported on Monday.
Kim's "letter-like" message to Trump was delivered on Friday
through an unspecified channel, the newspaper reported, citing
an unnamed diplomatic source.
The report did not include details about the message but
said it related to US-North Korea talks, and was conciliatory
in tone.
On Sunday, the office of South Korea's President Moon Jae-in
said Kim had sent a letter to his counterpart in Seoul saying he
wants to hold more inter-Korean summits next year to achieve
denuclearisation of the peninsula.
Neither the US State Department nor the US Embassy in
Seoul had an immediate comment about the report of Kim's message
to Trump when contacted by Reuters.
Moon's office could not confirm the Chosun Ilbo report.
"There is a dialogue channel between North Korea and the
United States through which they exchange active communication,
but I cannot know whether it took the form of letter or
something else," Moon's spokesman told a news briefing on
Monday.
At a summit with Trump in Singapore in June, Kim vowed to
work towards denuclearisation.
However, both sides have struggled to make progress on this
matter. They are also yet to reschedule a meeting between US
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and senior North Korean official
Kim Yong Chol after an abrupt cancellation in November.
Pyongyang's state media has credited Trump for his
willingness to continue dialogue but has also slammed the US
State Department for tightening sanctions.
The stalled negotiations have had an impact on inter-Korean
ties, with Kim failing to visit Seoul this year as agreed to at
an inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang in September.
The Chosun Ilbo report said Kim wrote in the letter to Moon
that he would come to the South "in the near future" after
giving a New Year address on Tuesday.
Kim's New Year address provides a rare public appearance for
the young leader and is closely watched by neighbouring
countries as it is seen setting the tone for his domestic and
foreign policies.
According to Moon's spokesman, Kim said in the letter to the South Korean president that he was sorry his previously planned trip to Seoul did not take place, expressing his "strong resolve" to make it happen while monitoring the situation.Source: trtworld.com