South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Kang Kyung-wha says there are “no signs yet” that U.S. President Donald Trump will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his visit to South Korea later this month for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC) summit in Gyeongju.
Speaking at a parliamentary audit session held at the South Korean mission to the United Nations in New York on Thursday local time, Kang said Trump has expressed openness to dialogue and Pyongyang has shown some signs as well, but “there are no indications that anything will materialize on the sidelines of APEC.”
She added that Seoul is “keeping all possibilities open” and closely monitoring related developments.
On the possibility of a bilateral summit between Presidents Trump and Lee Jae Myung during APEC, Kang said the two sides are in “final coordination” for a meeting.
Asked whether a deal on U.S.-South Korea tariff negotiations would ultimately require an agreement between the two leaders, she replied that all major diplomatic issues are decided “based on the leaders’ political will” and said she expects “substantive discussions” at the summit level.