APEC Summit 2025: White House’s entire focus on the meeting between Trump and Jinping, but Kim Jong also entered, America in dilemma

Sol. The US President may hold a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his upcoming Asian visit. Trump administration officials are busy preparing for the meeting between the two. This information was given by Yonhap news agency quoting a CNN report on Saturday. Citing officials familiar with the matter, the report said authorities “have not yet made any serious plans necessary to arrange such a visit” and there has been no communication between Washington and Pyongyang.

The report said Trump’s initial talks with Kim earlier this year also remained inconclusive as North Korea refused to accept the letter. The White House is focusing more on preparations for the meeting between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping during this visit. However, officials have kept the “door open” for a meeting with Kim.

According to CNN, Trump’s interest in a possible meeting with Kim first grew during his summit with President Lee Jae-Myung at the White House in August. During that time, Lee had suggested that the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference could provide an opportunity to meet Kim. The APEC summit is scheduled to be held in the south-eastern city of Gyeongju on October 31 and November 1.

South Korea’s top envoy to the US said on Friday that there is no indication yet that the US President and North Korean leaders will meet on the sidelines of the APEC summit. Ambassador Kang Kyung-wha made the remarks during a parliamentary audit at the South Korean Mission to the United Nations in New York. The comments came amid speculation that Trump might hold talks with Kim again during his visit to South Korea for the APEC summit.

“President Trump has said he is ready for talks, and North Korea has also indicated inclination toward talks. But so far there is no indication that anything will happen on the occasion of the APEC (summit),” Kang said during an audit session of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee. “But we are trying to keep an eye on (related) developments while keeping the possibility (of a Trump-Kim meeting) open,” Yonhap news agency quoted him as saying.