N. Korea refusing to accept letter from Trump: media report

U.S. President Donald Trump may be looking to reopen talks with North Korea, but Pyongyang isn't picking up.

A new report says the regime rejected a letter sent by Trump to Kim Jong-un.

Our correspondent Kim Jung-sil has the story.

A relationship once hailed as groundbreaking is back in the headlines.

President Trump reportedly sent a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, hoping to revive stalled dialogue.

According to NK News, citing a high-level source, multiple in-person delivery attempts to North Korean diplomats at the United Nations were made but each time, they "bluntly refused to accept it."

Asked about the matter, the White House did not deny the report.

"The president remains receptive to correspondence with Kim Jong-un, and he'd like to see the progress that was made at that summit in Singapore, As for specific correspondence, I'll leave that to the president to answer."

Analysts say North Korea's refusal may reflect deeper dissatisfaction with Washington's unchanged stance toward Pyongyang.

"North Korea likely remains deeply skeptical of exchanging personal letters when there's been no real change in what it sees as a hostile U.S. policy. For Kim Jong-un, rejecting Trump's letter also signals that his distrust of Trump still runs deep."

At the same time, Pyongyang appears to be doubling down on its ties with Moscow.

"North Korea is gaining significantly from its cooperation with Russia and moving toward a deeper strategic relationship. Engaging in close talks with the U.S. now could send the wrong signal to Moscow, so for Pyongyang, there's little incentive to accept Trump's letter."

Experts say Pyongyang likely hasn't forgotten that some past letter exchanges were made public during Trump's first term, something the North might have viewed as both risky and disrespectful.

With Trump's limited time in office, analysts say North Korea is unlikely to engage with the U.S. unless Washington signals a clear policy shift, possibly including sanctions relief or other long-sought concessions.

For now, the letter remains unopened, and the future of U.S.-North Korea dialogue is just as sealed.

Kim Jung-sil, Arirang News.