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Trump-Kim 'Love Letters' Reveal Friendship, Flattery

William Gallo

   SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - Veteran Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward's
   new book, Rage, is shining more light on the unlikely relationship
   between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong
   Un.
   The book won't be released until next week, but several U.S. media
   outlets on Wednesday published excerpts, including portions of personal
   letters that Trump and Kim exchanged over the past two years.
   In the letters, the young North Korean leader showers Trump with
   extravagant praise, repeatedly addressing him as "Your Excellency" and
   hailing their "deep and special friendship," even as the wider
   U.S.-North Korea nuclear talks were breaking down.
   "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," Kim told Trump after their first meeting in
   Singapore in June 2018. It was one of two Kim letters published by the
   U.S.-based cable news network CNN.
   Following their second summit in Vietnam, Kim told Trump "every minute
   we shared 103 days ago in Hanoi was also a moment of glory that remains
   a precious memory," according to CNN, which says it obtained
   transcripts of the two letters.
   Trump often returned the praise. After their Singapore meeting, Trump
   described Kim as "far beyond smart," according to the Post. The paper
   said Trump boasted to Woodward that Kim "tells me everything,"
   including a graphic description of how he killed his uncle, Jang Song
   Thaek. The powerful Jang was executed in late 2013 for treason.
   Those comments mirror an [1]interview Trump gave to VOA immediately
   after his Singapore summit, when Trump said Kim was "smart, loves his
   people, [and] he loves his country."
   Excessive praise?
   For the book, Woodward says he obtained access to 25 Trump-Kim letters,
   although it's not clear how much of the correspondence will be
   included.
   So far, the excerpts contained no huge surprises about the Trump-Kim
   relationship, parts of which Trump has already made public. However,
   analysts say the correspondence reveals important insights about each
   man's personality and negotiating style.
   "It's interesting to see how you can see Kim's personality refracted
   through these letters," said Jung Pak, a former CIA analyst who now
   works at the Washington-based Brookings Institution.
   "Surrounded by sycophants his entire life and as an observer and
   student of excessive displays of admiration that enveloped his father
   and grandfather, Kim Jong Un almost certainly understands how to
   weaponize praise and prey on one's insecurities and desire for
   greatness," said Pak, who recently wrote the book Becoming Kim Jong Un.
   Unlikely friendship
   Trump and Kim didn't always get along. In 2017, the two regularly
   exchanged insults, with Trump calling Kim "Little Rocket Man" and Kim
   slamming Trump as a "mentally deranged U.S. dotard." At one point,
   Trump threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea.
   The tensions dissipated after Trump, a former real estate developer and
   reality television host who often claims an unmatched deal-making
   ability, became the first sitting U.S. president to meet a North Korean
   leader. Trump later claimed the two "fell in love."

References

   1. https://www.voanews.com/usa/trump-voa-were-going-denuke-north-korea

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