North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has sent a letter to Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, addressing him as “Your Excellency” and offering condolences for the victims of the recent earthquake. This gesture is nearly unprecedented, as North Korea typically refers to the Japanese Prime Minister as a ‘sworn enemy’ rather than using the highly honorable title of “Your Excellency.”
“Having learned of the many casualties and material losses caused by the earthquake since the beginning of the new year, I express my deepest sympathy and condolences to the bereaved families and victims,” Kim Jong Un wrote in his letter to “His Excellency Kishida Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan,” as reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). He added, “I hope the people in the affected areas will regain a stable life as soon as possible.”
Some analysts interpret North Korea’s condolence letter to Prime Minister Kishida, with its respectful tone and use of the title “Your Excellency,” as a potential attempt to improve relations between the two countries. They suggest that North Korea might be seeking to avoid diplomatic isolation, pivoting towards Japan as a partner instead of South Korea and the United States, especially given the strengthening trilateral security cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan.
A government official said, “By treating Japan differently from South Korea, they may be trying to provoke internal conflicts in our society.” Tae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat, shared on Facebook, “They are trying to provoke a South-South conflict by taking an ultra-hardline stance against their own people, South Korea, and adopting a conciliatory stance towards Japan to undermine the South Korea-US-Japan Camp David process.”
