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Photo courtesy of Yonhap News |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] Seoul, October 14 — South Korea’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said on Monday that a U.S.–North Korea summit could take place on the sidelines of the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit later this month.
Speaking during a parliamentary audit at the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, Minister Chung stated:
“Based on open-source information and available data, both leaders appear to be prepared for such a meeting.”
He cited North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s speech at the Supreme People’s Assembly on September 22, noting that over 40% of the address was devoted to U.S. and inter-Korean relations.
“Kim said he had ‘good memories with President Trump’ and that he was ‘open to discussions centered on peaceful coexistence,’” Chung said. “Ultimately, the key lies in President Trump’s decision.”
When asked by Democratic Party lawmaker Yoon Hu-duk about a potential venue, Chung responded:
“If it does happen, Panmunjom would be the most realistic location.”
Chung further added that the likelihood of such a dialogue is “quite high,” emphasizing that “anything is possible.”
He recalled that in June 2019, a Panmunjom summit between Trump and Kim was arranged “within 30 hours via a single tweet” following the G20 summit in Osaka.
“There’s no reason something similar couldn’t happen again at the last minute,” he said.
If realized, the meeting would mark a renewed effort at direct dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang, echoing the unexpected 2019 encounter that became a historic moment in U.S.–North Korea relations.
알파경제 Kim Jisun (stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
