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Donald Trump sends letter to N Korea leader Kim offering help on COVID-19 outbreak

North Korea has not reported a single coronavirus case, but was widely suspected to be covering up an outbreak.

Donald Trump sends letter to N Korea leader Kim offering help on COVID-19 outbreak

U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (Photo: IANS)

US President Donald Trump has sent a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, offering help with Pyongyang’s fight against the coronavirus pandemic, the latter’s sister said on Sunday.

According to the Kim Yo-jong, the first vice department director of the Central Committee of the North’s Workers’ Party’s statement, The letter is a “a good example showing the special and firm personal relations” between Trump and Kim,  Yonhap News Agency reported.

“We regard it as a good judgment and proper action for the US President to make efforts to keep the good relations he had with our Chairman by sending a personal letter again at a time as now when big difficulties and challenges lie in the way of developing the bilateral relations, and think that this should be highly estimated,” she said.

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“In the letter, he also explained his plan to propel the relations between the two countries of North Korea and the US and expressed his intent to render cooperation in the anti-epidemic work, saying that he was impressed by the efforts made by the Chairman to defend his people from the serious threat of the epidemic,” Kim Yo-jong added.

North Korea has not reported a single coronavirus case, but was widely suspected to be covering up an outbreak.

The regime has tightened its borders and enforced tough quarantine measures on its people, local media reported.

On Saturday, North Korea fired two projectiles presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles into the sea off its east coast, according to the Seoul military.

It comes as North Korea announced it would be holding a session of the Supreme People’s Assembly, the country’s parliament, on 10 April. Analysts say the meeting will involve almost 700 of the country’s leaders in one spot.

Earlier in the month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has overseen a “long-range artillery” drill on Tuesday after Pyongyang threatened to demonstrate a new weapon.

Earlier, President Donald Trump had tested negative for the novel coronavirus.

Trump agreed to the test after coming in contact with several members of a Brazilian presidential delegation visiting his Florida resort who have since tested positive for the virus.

As of Sunday, the US has reported 26,138 confirmed coronavirus cases in the country, with a total of 340 deaths, according to the latest updates b the Maryland-based John hopkins University.

(With inputs from agency)

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