South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on Friday called on the leaders of North Korea and the United States
SEOUL — South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on Friday called on the leaders of North Korea and the United States not to miss a golden opportunity for having dialogue on the occasion of next week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering in South Korea.
US President Donald Trump's planned visit to South Korea on October 29-30 for the APEC gathering has spawned speculation that he may seek a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un though the possibility of such a meeting appears low, Yonhap News Agency reported.
"The leaders of North Korea and the US should not miss this opportunity. They should make a decision," Chung told reporters, noting that if realized, the possible Kim-Trump meeting could pave the way for bringing peace to the Korean Peninsula.
He said it would be much more difficult for the North and the US to prepare for a meeting between their leaders in terms of logistics if they miss a chance for talks in South Korea.
Trump met with Kim three times during his first term -- two summit talks, in Singapore in June 2018 and in Hanoi in February 2019, and a brief meeting at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom in June 2019.
Chung said there has been no confirmed information about contacts underway between the North and the US, but claimed there are "signs" of both sides apparently preparing for possible talks.
The minister cited North Koreans detected doing cleanup work near the North's facility inside Panmunjom and the U.N. Command's suspension of trips to the truce village until next week.
"At Panmunjom, signs were detected of North Koreans cleaning at its facility, plucking grass, arranging flowerbeds and shooting photos," Chung said, noting that such signs were spotted within the past seven days.
"It marked the first time that the North has been detected doing cleanup work this year (at the truce village)."
Since returning to the White House, Trump has voiced hope for meeting with Kim "within this year."
At a key parliamentary meeting in September, the North's leader said he has "good memories" of Trump and remains open to talks with the US if Washington drops its demand for the North's denuclearisation.
Denuclearisation talks have stalled since the Hanoi summit ended without a deal due to disagreements over conditions for Washington's sanctions relief.