Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on Tuesday voiced hope that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will meet with the presidents of South Korea and the United States in some form this year as Seoul prepares to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in October.

At a National Assembly interpellation session, Kim said Seoul had not issued a formal invitation to Pyongyang but called President Lee Jae Myung’s recent comments to U.S. President Donald Trump expressing that wish an “indirect and public” overture.

He added the government would consider sending a special envoy to North Korea, in coordination with Washington, to encourage such a meeting.

Regarding the potential attendance of U.S. President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kim he expected both leaders to come and that no major obstacles were in their way.

The prime minister also welcomed a lawmaker’s proposal of a joint declaration of peace at APEC, saying preparations were already underway.

He dismissed opposition criticism of the government’s approach to North Korea,comparing it to past rhetoric that had branded political opponents as enemies of the state.