Lee, Trump to meet in Gyeongju for APEC summit: US envoy
President Lee Jae Myung's top security adviser ruled out the possibility that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un would attend the upcoming APEC Leaders' Meeting in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1.
"It should be assumed that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will not attend the (APEC) meeting," Wi Sung-lac, director of the presidential National Security Office, said in a news conference hosted by the Korea News Editors' Association at the Korea Press Center in Seoul on Wednesday.
Wi added that it is unlikely that the international event in South Korea would set the stage for a meeting between Kim and Trump.
Though he expressed hope that President Trump would visit South Korea during the summit, he said the trip has not yet been confirmed. Later on Wednesday, Joseph Yun, acting US ambassador to South Korea, said that Lee and Trump would meet at the APEC summit in Gyeongju. Yun was speaking at the Korea-US Alliance Conference held at Westin Chosun in Seoul.
Wi said he saw little room for North Korea to engage with either South Korea or the United States, with its leader Kim appearing in early September side by side with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in a display of unity by the three countries at a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of China's Victory Day in WWII.
By contrast, communications between the two Koreas and between North Korea and the United States remain mostly severed, Wi said.
"Given the situation of North Korea, China and Russia, we are seeing little incentive for North Korea to engage in talks in the short term," Wi said. "Still, our goal is to improve (South Korea's) relationship with North Korea, China and Russia."
Wi reiterated calls for North Korea to denuclearize through a phased approach that would freeze, reduce and eliminate nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula. While acknowledging that it is imperative to bring North Korea back to the negotiation table with either South Korea or the US, Wi said Seoul's recent reconciliatory gestures do not indicate that the North is willing to negotiate denuclearization.
"Denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula is traditionally the ultimate goal of both South Korea and the US," Wi said. "Whether North Korea likes it or not, there is no change in this goal."
In the meantime, signs of closer military cooperation between North Korea and Russia are concerning to South Korea at a time when the North is developing its nuclear and missile capabilities.
"That's what we oppose and find concerning," Wi said.
"As cooperation between North Korea and Russia continues to grow, North Korea's nuclear missile capabilities will become more advanced, and this is not helpful for the relationship between the two Koreas or between South Korea and Russia, as it is not aligned with our national security interests."
But Wi said he was unsure about the veracity of a recent news report, citing military intelligence, which claimed Russia was providing a nuclear reactor to North Korea for the propulsion of nuclear-powered submarines.
On the other hand, Wi expressed Seoul's openness to strategic flexibility for US Forces Korea to counter emergencies across East Asia, depending on changes in the situation on and around the Korean Peninsula. However, he said flexibility should be implemented on the premise that the change would not lead to a looser alliance between South Korea and the United States, given the persistent threat of North Korea.
Meanwhile, during the news conference Wi revealed that Washington has consented to the Lee administration's choice of former Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha as the new ambassador to the US.
Kang served as foreign minister under the former liberal Moon Jae-in administration from June 2017 to February 2021.
Wi also said the pace of fostering diplomatic resources in South Korea has been slow compared with its fast-paced economic growth, adding that more public discourse should be made to enhance the country's diplomatic capability.
consnow@heraldcorp.com
![[Exclusive] Ateez to return in November](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/09/02/news-p.v1.20260902.76162fb0ba55493aad1c076f240d0750_R.jpg?type=h&h=120)