Trump’s letter to Kim delivered to North Koreans

A US delegation has given North Koreans a letter from President Donald Trump to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The US State Department made the announcement Saturday as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted that he had a “polite exchange” with his North Korean counterpart, Ri Yong Ho, in Singapore.

“I had the chance to speak with my #DPRK counterpart FM Ri Yong Ho @asean today,” Pompeo wrote on Twitter. “We had a quick, polite exchange.”

US ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim handed a white envelope containing Trump’s message to Ri after he shook hands with Pompeo.

“We should talk again soon,” Pompeo told Ri, to which he responded in English, “I agree. There are many productive conversations to be had,” according to State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert.

Pompeo is in Singapore for a foreign ministers meeting at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

“The DPRK stands firm in its determination and commitment for implementing the DPRK-U.S. Joint Statement in a responsible and good-faith manner,” Ri said at the regional meeting.

The UN submitted a confidential report to the Security Council on Friday, in which it reportedly said North Korea has continued to defy Security Council resolutions through a “massive increase” of illegal ship-to-ship transfers of oil products and by trying to sell weapons abroad.

The report has also found that Pyongyang has not stopped its nuclear or missile programs.