President Lee Jae Myung expressed continued hope for a possible meeting between the leaders of the United States and North Korea ahead of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC) summit in South Korea later this month.

In a CNN interview released Thursday, Lee said he believes U.S. President Donald Trump wants to achieve world peace and that this was why he'd asked Trump to take on the role of a "peacemaker" on the peninsula.

When asked what message he would like to send to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Lee said a meeting would be the first step in resolving many issues.

Trump is scheduled to arrive in South Korea on October 29 for a two-day visit ahead of the APEC event.

The presidential office in Seoul has stated that it is not privy to any information regarding a potential summit between Trump and Kim but that it continues to support efforts for dialogue between North Korea and the United States.

APEC 2025 is scheduled to take place from October 30 to November 1 in Gyeongju.