U.S., China to attend APEC

[Anchor]

Joseph Yun, the acting U.S. ambassador to South Korea, stated that both the U.S. and Chinese leaders are expected to attend the APEC summit held in Gyeongju this year.

He also mentioned that there has been no decision yet on whether the U.S. nuclear policy department will classify South Korea as a sensitive country.

Reporter Kim Kyung-jin has the story.

[Report]

Acting Ambassador Joseph Yun highlighted the possibility of a U.S.-China summit coinciding with the APEC summit in Gyeongju in October.

[Joseph Yun/Acting U.S. Ambassador: "(President Trump) seems likely to come unless there are special circumstances. At that time, President Xi Jinping will also come. Since China is hosting APEC next year, he will definitely attend."]

If the two leaders visit South Korea, it will be President Trump's first visit in five years and President Xi's first visit in eleven years.

Regarding concerns that the U.S. government might classify South Korea as a 'sensitive country' next month, he stated, "No decision has been made yet," and "We are still assessing the situation."

On this issue, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul also explained that they are assessing the situation and that nothing has been finalized.

[Cho Tae-yul/Foreign Minister: "We raised the issue based on what we learned through unofficial channels, and the U.S. Department of Energy is currently in the process of reassessing its internal situation."]

If the U.S. classifies South Korea as a 'sensitive country' like China and Russia, cooperation in advanced technologies such as nuclear energy, AI, and quantum technology will be restricted.

When asked whether domestic discussions on nuclear armament influenced the U.S. consideration of this classification, Minister Cho acknowledged it as one possible factor but emphasized that further verification is needed.

This is KBS News, Kim Kyung-jin.