Seoul, Apr 22 (IANS): North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korea's outgoing President Moon Jae-in have exchanged letters in an "expression of their deep trust", Pyongyang's state media reported on Friday.
Kim sent the letter on Thursday in response to a farewell letter that Moon sent the previous day as he prepared to leave office after a five-year term that included three summit meetings with the North Korean leader and two summits between Kim and former US President Donald Trump, reports Yonhap News Agency.
Moon's five-year term is set to end May 9.
"Sharing the same view that the inter-Korean relations would improve and develop as desired and anticipated by the nation if the North and the South make tireless efforts with hope, the top leaders mutually extended warm greetings to the compatriots in the North and the South," North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a report.
In his letter, Moon expressed his intention of supporting efforts to make the joint declarations issued by the two Koreas the foundation for reunification even after his retirement, as Kim appreciated what the president has done for the "great cause of the nation", according to the KCNA.
"The exchange of the personal letters between the top leaders of the North and the South is an expression of their deep trust," it added.
Meanwhile, South Korea's presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, said on Friday that Kim in his letter wished that inter-Korean relations can improve as much as one wants if both sides make sincere efforts.
"Though much is left desired, my belief remains unchanged that if the South and the North pour sincerity in based on efforts made so far, inter-Korean relations can move forward as much as one wants," the North Korean leader was quoted as saying in the letter.
Kim also agreed that the two sides made "indelible achievements".
Moon and Kim held three rounds of bilateral summit talks. They first met at the truce border village of Panmunjom in April 2018, where they signed the "Panmunjom Declaration" that calls for the two Koreas to cooperate in reducing tensions.
They met again at Panmunjom the following month, followed by talks in Pyongyang in September, during which they signed another agreement to explore ways to further advance cooperation.
Inter-Korean dialogue, however, has remained at a standstill since the 2019 Hanoi summit between Kim and Trump ended without a deal.
The exchange of letters came amid heightened tensions over concern that the North could undertake yet another nuclear test after successfully test-firing a massive intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.