▲ Unification Minister Chung Dong-young (R) speaks to reporters outside the government complex in Seoul on May 21, 2026. (Yonhap)

unification minister-N Korea

Kim-Trump summit could be discussed if Xi visits Pyongyang: unification minister

SEOUL, May 21 (Yonhap) -- Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Thursday a summit between Pyongyang and Washington could be on the agenda if China's leader Xi Jinping visits North Korea.

Xi is speculated to make a state visit later his month or early next month, sources said the previous day, citing recent visits by Xi's security guards and ceremonial staff to Pyongyang as indicators.

If that happens, a Kim-Trump summit "will surely be discussed," Chung told reporters outside the government complex in Seoul, though he acknowledged the visit had yet to be confirmed by Beijing.

"Gigantic tectonic plates are in motion," he said, referring to a series of recent summits among the United States, China and Russia.

"Now is time for us to deeply contemplate strategic options for stability, peace and mutual prosperity amidst these tectonic changes in the geopolitical landscape of Northeast Asia surround the Korean Peninsula," he said.

Seoul has been seeking to repair strained inter-Korean relations. It is said to have worked to place North Korea-related issues on the agenda of the recent Trump-Xi summit.

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