North Korean leader Kim Jong Un penned a letter to his people “greeting the hope-filled new year,” state media reported on Friday.

“Happy New Year,” Kim wrote in a handwritten note published on the front page of the country’s Rodong Sinmun newspaper. “I extend my heartfelt greetings to all the people. I sincerely wish all the families across the country greater happiness and beloved people, good health.”

For years, the North Korean leader usually delivered a New Year’s Day speech on state television, but experts say that the format of the early-morning newspaper