South Korean President Moon Jae-in concluded his term with a symbolic diplomatic gesture, exchanging farewell letters with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un amid ongoing tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear program and stalled inter-Korean relations, according to official statements from both governments.
Moon, who will leave office on May 10 after a single five-year term, urged Kim to pursue dialogue with the United States to address regional security concerns in his letter. The South Korean president's office cited his message as emphasizing the need to overcome the era of confrontation on the divided Korean Peninsula.
The Koreas remain technically at war since the 1953 armistice ended fighting without a formal peace treaty. When Moon took office in 2017, the peninsula faced renewed war risks as North Korea tested a hydrogen bomb and launched intercontinental ballistic missiles. President Donald J. Trump's 'fire and fury' threats and personal insults with Kim created a volatile backdrop.
Moon and Kim introduced a rare détente in 2018, meeting three times and signing a document where Trump promised 'security guarantees' for North Korea and Kim committed to 'complete denuclearization.' Moon became the first South Korean leader to address a North Korean audience in 2018 and raised his hands with Kim atop Mount Paektu, a sacred site.
However, negotiations faltered after the 2019 Hanoi summit collapsed. North Korea resumed missile tests in 2020, including the destruction of a joint liaison office in 2020. In 2021, Pyongyang conducted multiple missile tests violating 2017 U.N. resolutions, and in March 2022, it launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile since 2017.
Kim expressed appreciation for Moon's efforts in his response, calling their letter exchange an 'expression of deep trust.' Moon's successor, Yoon Suk-yeol, faces a challenging inter-Korean policy landscape after his narrow election victory, with Kim's letter offering vague hopes for improved relations.
