Trump to attend APEC in Gyeongju

[Anchor]

If President Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un were to meet, the APEC summit in Gyeongju, which will be held in two months, could be a decisive opportunity.

President Trump has stated he will come to Gyeongju, and now the decision rests with Chairman Kim.

Reporter Kim Kyung-jin reports.

[Report]

President Trump has expressed his willingness to attend the APEC summit in Gyeongju this October.

[Donald Trump/President of the United States: "A summit in South Korea? I'd love to. And you are hosting the trade meeting, so I can sneak away from that trade meeting and we'll go and do something for the President, if he'd like me to do that."]

The government is considering inviting Chairman Kim Jong-un to APEC for North Korea-U.S. dialogue, but if Chairman Kim cannot attend, the possibility of President Trump visiting Panmunjom again has also been mentioned.

[Donald Trump/President of the United States: "I loved it. Remember when I walked across the line and everyone went crazy? Especially Secret Service, I would say."]

President Trump was more proactive about the possibility of the South Korea-North Korea-U.S. leaders meeting together for the first time in six years.

[Donald Trump/President of the United States: "We'll arrange a meeting between you and Kim Jong-un. Would you like that?"]

North Korea has yet to respond significantly to this upcoming South Korea-U.S. summit.

Last month, North Korea stated that while the personal relationship between Kim Jong-un and Trump is not bad, there will be no dialogue for 'denuclearization.' It is crucial for the South Korean and U.S. leaders to clarify that 'North Korea denuclearization' is the goal in this meeting to reduce differences in their positions.

[Lee Jae Myung/President of South Korea: "The obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) must be thoroughly observed on the Korean Peninsula, and it is clear that this aligns with the interests of both South and North Korea."]

Additionally, unlike in 2019, North Korea's alliance with Russia may influence North Korea-U.S. dialogue depending on the developments in the Ukraine war or North Korea-Russia relations.

This is KBS News, Kim Kyung-jin.