▲ South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (R) shakes hands with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun as he arrives at Joint Base Andrews near Washington on Aug. 24, 2025, to attend his first summit with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House. (Yonhap)

foreign minister-APEC

FM says possibility of U.S.-N. Korea summit at APEC 'very low for now'

SEOUL, Aug. 31 (Yonhap) -- Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Sunday that the possibility of a U.S.-North Korea summit occurring on the sidelines of a regional forum in South Korea later this year is "very low for now."

Speaking on a KBS news program, Cho was referring to speculation U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un could meet during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, at the end of October.

"I can only say that the possibility is very low for now," he said, also adding no APEC invitation has been sent yet to the North Korean leader.

Still, Cho said should such a meeting be held, "it could create the opportunity to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula and ultimately achieve North Korea's denuclearization."

The minister also spoke to Kim's planned trip to China this week, saying the North Korean leader was likely seeking opportunities to repair strained ties with Beijing.

"North Korea has grown extremely close to Russia recently, but they probably have learned Russia's limits," he said. "However, they probably already know the limits of (China) as well."

Kim is reportedly set to visit Beijing to attend a military parade on Wednesday marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

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