The Trump Tapes, page 43
Please accept the assurances of my highest consideration.
Kim Jong Un
September 6, 2018
September 21, 2018
Your Excellency Mr. President,
I acknowledge that our meeting again in the near future will be very useful for removing distrust and building confidence between our two countries and making big progress in the issue of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. I am not sure how Your Excellency would think about this, but I am confident that when we meet again we can confirm our respective positions and certainly reach an agreement that will come to fruition. I have a feeling that very good results may come about in my next meeting with Your Excellency and I will work hard to make that happen.
I hope to discuss the issue of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula directly with Your Excellency, not with President Moon Jae-in of South Korea, in future and I think the excessive interest President Moon is showing as now in our matter is unnecessary. If Your Excellency agrees with me, please do send Pompeo to Pyongyang again at an early date. I will meet with the person with the authority delegated by Your Excellency and discuss and plan the steps forward, including the time and venue of our meeting.
As I wrote in my previous letter, my confidence and respect for Your Excellency will never change, though many people are skeptical about the current status and the prospects of the relations between our countries about our ideas of resolving the issue of denuclearization in the future. I, together with Your Excellency, will definitely prove them wrong. The excellent relations between us will serve as the basis for the wonderful achievements we will make in the future and such a belief will be the driving force for all our successful work.
I sincerely wish Your Excellency Mr. President great success in your important work. I extend my warm greetings to the First Lady.
Please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.
Kim Jong Un
September 21, 2018
[on White House stationery]
December 24, 2018
His Excellency Kim Jong Un
Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Pyongyang
Dear Chairman Kim,
We had a great 2018. I wanted to wish you a wonderful 2019. I look forward to our next summit and to making real progress on denuclearization and a really bright future for your people under your leadership in the year ahead.
Please give my warmest regards to your beautiful family and the people of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Looking forward to seeing you soon.
[signed Donald Trump in black magic marker]
25 December 2018
Your Excellency,
It has been 200 days since the historic DPRK-US summit in Singapore this past June, and the year is now almost coming to an end. Even now I cannot forget that moment of history when I firmly held Your Excellency’s hand at the beautiful and sacred location as the whole world watched with great interest and hope to relive the honor of that day. As I mentioned at that time, I feel very honored to have established an excellent relationship with a person such as Your Excellency.
As the new year 2019 approaches, critical issues that require endless effort toward even higher ideals and goals still await us. Just as Your Excellency frankly noted, as we enter the new year the whole world will certainly once again come to see, not so far in the future, another historic meeting between myself and Your Excellency reminiscent of a scene from a fantasy film.
I have already instructed my closest and most trusted colleagues and the relevant organs to speed up the preparations for holding a second DPRK-US summit and am prepared to achieved good results with Your Excellency during the next meeting.
Nevertheless, what worries me is that it may not reflect positively on us should both sides appear to stubbornly insist on our respective positions regarding the location of the summit. It could also result in wasting a lot of time. Therefore, my position is to urgently hold senior-level contact between the DPRK and the US to internally [translator’s note: privately] discuss and coordinate issues regarding the location.
I hope that Your Excellency will once again demonstrate great decisiveness and excellent leadership to accomplish results in the second DPRK summit. I wholeheartedly hope that the things that Your Excellency seeks to achieve will come to great fruition.
I wish the honorable First Lady, your family and those close to you good health, happiness, and great success.
Sincerely, with unchanging respect for Your Excellency the President,
Chairman State Affairs Commission
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Kim Jong Un
25 December 2018
[on White House stationery]
December 28, 2018
His Excellency Kim Jong Un
Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Pyongyang
Dear Chairman Kim,
I just received your letter and very much appreciate your warm feelings and thoughts. Like you, I have no doubt that a great result will be accomplished between our two countries, and that the only two leaders who can do it are you and me.
The location of our next summit, to which I am very much looking forward, will not be a problem for me. Also I do not mind meeting closer to your country than mine, [in?] that travel is probably far easier for me than for you. I have heard that numerous locations have been rejected but that Bangkok, Thailand or Hanoi, Vietnam would be acceptable.
I wish you a prosperous and joyful start to a happy new year and look forward to meeting you very soon.
Best wishes to your family and friends.
Sincerely,
Donald Trump
[“Best wishes” above is underlined in black magic marker.]
[on White House stationery]
January 8, 2019
His Excellency Kim Jong Un
Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Pyongyang
Dear Chairman Kim,
I heard it was your birthday and I wanted to wish you a happy day. You will have many great years of celebration and success. Your country will soon be on a historic and prosperous path.
Sincerely,
Donald Trump
January 17, 2019
Your Excellency Mr. President,
I express my sincere appreciation to Your Excellency Mr. President for inviting my special envoy and high-level delegation to Washington out of your special and strong aspiration for better relations between the DPRK and the US despite your busy schedule in the beginning of the year. It is indeed a pleasure and relief for me to start the new year 2019 with the expectation that the great relationship between us would continue, and it is my sincere hope that in the new year all the work we do together, hand in hand, will become momentous events that will shake the world.
I would like to believe that while last year was a meaningful one in which we put an end to the longstanding hostile relations between the DPRK and the US and made a commitment to a new future, this will be a more significant year that will see our bilateral relations develop into a new higher stage.
In this respect, a second DPRK-US summit will be a very crucial and weighty historic event equal to the Singapore meeting. I am doing everything possible in my power for the successful opening of a second summit, and I have authorized my special envoy Kim Yong-chol and the high-level delegation to convey my thoughts on the venue, time and agenda for the meeting to Your Excellency Mr. President and your side and have full discussions.
I have no doubt that I would receive a report that this DPRK-US high-level talks in Washington went smoothly and reached a good agreement thanks to the attention of Your Excellency.
I look forward to seeing you again soon, Your Excellency Mr. President, in good health and full of energy in our most meaningful meeting.
Sincerely,
Kim Jong Un
[written by hand in black magic marker, with a slant, covering a whole piece of White House stationery:]
1/18/2019
Mr Chairman,
A great meeting and message. We are together doing something very historic. I will see you soon.
Your friend,
Donald J. Trump
[written by hand in black magic marker on White House stationery:]
February 19, 2019
Chairman,
I look forward to seeing you next week. It will be great!
Best wishes,
Donald J. Trump
[There is page of four pictures of the two of them meeting, possibly from a North Korean newspaper. A note in black magic marker reads: Chairman, so great. Good pictures. Best wishes.]
[on White House stationery]
March 22, 2019
His Excellency Kim Jong Un
Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Pyongyang
Dear Chairman Kim,
I am writing today to send you warm greetings for the upcoming anniversary of the birth of President Kim Il Sung, the founder of your great country. You have carried forward his vision for your people and you now have an historic opportunity to fulfill his dying wish—to achieve denuclearization. I am certain, that under your leadership, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will achieve its enormous potential.
Thank you again for making this long journey to Hanoi. As I said to you when we parted ways, you are my friend and always will be. Contrary to some media reports about our meeting, you and I have made tremendous progress. Although there is still a lot of work to do, I have great hope and expectation about what you and I can accomplish together in the months and years to come if we remain committed to our shared goals.
Give my warm regards to your beautiful family.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Trump
[Note: “warm regards to your” above is underlined in black magic marker]
June 10, 2019
Your Excellency Mr. President,
I am writing this letter to you as we are nearing the first anniversary of our meeting in Singapore on June 12—the historic moment of great significance that captured the attention of the world and left an imprint still indelible in my memory—as well as to congratulate you on your birthday, which is just days away. I take it as a great honor to be able to send such a letter to Your Excellency.
I extend my sincere and warm regards to Your Excellency on the occasion of your birthday. My regards also to the First Lady and the rest of your family and all your people, and I wish everyone good health and happiness and hope that everyone’s dream will become a beautiful reality.
Like the brief time we had together a year ago in Singapore, every minute we shared 103 days ago in Hanoi was also a moment of glory that remains a precious memory. Such a precious memory that I have in my unwavering respect for you will provide an impetus for me to take my steps when we walk toward each other again someday in the future.
I also believe that the deep and special friendship between us will work as a magical force that leads the progress of the DPRK-US relations, clearing all the hurdles we face in the process of bringing about the developments we seek to achieve.
Your Excellency Mr. President, I still respect and lay my hopes on the will and determination that you showed in our first meeting to resolve the issue of our unique style that nobody had ever tried, and to write a new history. Today’s reality is that without a new approach and the courage it takes, the prospects for resolution of the issue will only be bleak.
I believe the one day will come sooner or later when we sit down together to make great things happen, with the will to give another chance to our mutual trust. Such a day should come again. It may well be recorded as yet another fantastic moment in history.
I assure Your Excellency that my respect for you will never change.
Happy birthday once again, Your Excellency. I hope Your Excellency will always be in good health and achieve success in your work. I extend my best wishes on behalf of my family to the First Lady and the rest of your family.
Sincerely yours,
Kim Jong Un
June 10, 2019
[on White House stationery]
June 12, 2019
His Excellency Kim Jong Un
Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Pyongyang
Dear Mr. Chairman,
It is great to hear from you. Thank you for your letter and warm birthday wishes. I hope you and your family are doing well.
It is hard to believe that a full year has passed since our historic first meeting in Singapore. It was on that day, one year ago, that you and I made a number of extraordinary commitments to one another—you committed to completely denuclearize, and I committed to provide security guarantees. We both committed to establish new relations for our two countries and to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean peninsula.
I completely agree with you. You and I have a unique style and a special friendship. Only you and I, working together, can resolve the issues between our two countries and end nearly 70 years of hostility, bringing an era of prosperity to the Korean peninsula that will exceed all our greatest expectations—and you will be the one to lead. It will be historic!
I agree with you and think it would be a great thing for us to meet again. There’s some work to be done to prepare for that day. As you said, success requires courage. So in that spirit, let us direct our teams to meet again in the coming weeks to take a fresh look at ways to fulfil the commitments you and I made one year ago today. I look forward to hearing from you.
As always, I wish you good health and great success. Please give my warm regards to your beautiful family.
Sincerely,
Donald Trump
[Note: “good health and great success” above are underlined in black magic marker]
[on White House stationery]
June 29, 2019
His Excellency Kim Jong Un
Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Pyongyang
Dear Chairman Kim,
As you may have seen, I am traveling today from Osaka, Japan, to the Republic of Korea, and since I will be so close to you, I would like to invite you to meet me at the border tomorrow afternoon. I will be near the DMZ in the afternoon and propose a meeting at 3:30 at the Peace House on the southern side of the military demarcation line. I have no specific agenda for our meeting, but think it would be great to see you again since we will be so close to each other. Hope to see you tomorrow!
Sincerely,
Donald Trump
[on White House stationery]
June 30, 2019
His Excellency Kim Jong Un
Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Pyongyang
Dear Chairman Kim,
Being with you today was truly amazing. Even the media, which always likes to say that everything is bad, is giving you accolades for inviting me into your country. They said you demonstrated great foresight and courage in accepting a meeting on such short notice and very public notice. Most importantly I thought our meeting went very well. The potential of your country is truly limitless, and I am confident that incredible prosperity awaits you and your people in the future as we continue to work together.
[handwritten in black magic marker:] Great being with you!
Sincerely,
Donald Trump
[“Great” above is underlined with black magic marker]
[Bob Woodard dictation note: There is a photocopy of the whole NYT front page from Monday, July 1, 2019. There is a picture of Trump and Kim. The headline of the story is “After Twitter overture, Trump and Kim meet on North Korean soil.” The words are hard to make out. In magic marker, Trump writes: Chairman, great picture of you, big time.]
[on White House stationery]
July 2, 2019
His Excellency Kim Jong Un
Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
Pyongyang
Dear Mr. Chairman,
Enclosed are photographs taken at our momentous summits in Singapore and Hanoi and at our historic meeting on June 30, 2019 at the joint security area. It was an honor to cross into your country and to resume our important discussion.
I have tremendous confidence in our ability to strike a big deal that leads to immense prosperity for you and your people, shed you of your nuclear burden, and inspires generations to come.
These images are great memories for me and capture the unique friendship that you and I have developed.
[Copies of 22 photos were included in what was sent to Chairman Kim.]
August 5, 2019
Your Excellency,
More than 30 days have passed since we have had a meaningful reunion on June 30 at the North-South Military Demarcation line, a symbol of hostility and confrontation. Truly even as I recall it again I’m struck at what a great moment it was.
I’m delighted to receive each and every single picture you specifically chose from that day, which holds special meaning and will remain an internal memory from that momentous and historic day. Those photographs now hang in my office. I express my appreciation to you, and I will remember that moment forever.
Your Excellency has left an extraordinary historical legacy, and going forward will continue to lead a great change in history.
Your Excellency, I remember clearly the promise I made 30 days ago to have experts from our two countries sit down face-to-face in a few weeks’ time to discuss the work that Your Excellency and I need to do in the future. However, the current environment is different from that day.
