Anchor: In an interview with KBS, Seoul’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has said the possibility of a U.S.-North Korea summit on the sidelines of the upcoming APEC summit in South Korea later this year is “very low for now.” Ahead of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s visit to Beijing later this week, Cho said Kim is trying to revive ties with Beijing after improving relations with Moscow. 
Kim Bum-soo has more. 

Report: Seoul’s top diplomat says North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is now seeking to remedy his country’s estrangement from Beijing after realizing that tighter ties with Moscow aren’t enough. 

Appearing on a KBS program Sunday, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun offered his assessment of Kim’s planned visit to Beijing, where the North Korean leader will attend a military parade for Victory Day at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

[Sound bite: Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (Korean-English)]
"Hasn’t North Korea gotten very close to Russia?"
(Host: "Yes. During the war in Ukraine.")
"Troops were dispatched. However, North Korea probably found out about Russia's limitations. I think maybe the North was looking for an opportunity to restore its somewhat estranged relationship with China. But it also is probably aware of the limitations there. North Korea knows that it will have to cooperate with the United States and South Korea at some point in order to become a normal country, so it would be desirable for them to try something new, like I said before. This is my personal analysis."

But Cho is pessimistic about the chances of a breakthrough in Beijing.  

[Sound bite: Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (Korean-English)]
"In preparation for such a possibility, we took all the materials needed to the speaker of the National Assembly, explained them, and did our best to prepare, but such is the relationship between countries. Policy is more important than previously knowing or meeting each other. Will North Korea contact and start talking with the South Korean delegation this time around, whether it’s the head of the National Assembly or whomever? For now, I’m not so hopeful."

Seoul is sending National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik to the celebration in Beijing, sparking speculation about a possible encounter between Kim and the South Korean delegation.

Cho also downplayed the likelihood of U.S.-North Korea talks at the upcoming APEC summit in Gyeongju in October, noting that no invitations have been extended to Pyongyang.

The foreign minister indicated that Seoul has done all it can and much is now up to U.S. President Donald Trump, whom South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has urged to adopt a peacemaker role with Pyongyang.

At their summit in Washington in August, Lee pledged to act as a “pacemaker” to support Trump in his efforts to rekindle suspended nuclear talks and realize peace with Pyongyang.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.