North Korea unlikely to attend APEC or hold talks with US: official
North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, right, shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump before a meeting at the Sofitel Legend Metropole hotel in Hanoi, Feb. 27, 2019. AFP-Yonhap
North Korea is unlikely to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit set to be held in China next week, a South Korean presidential official said Thursday.
"It would be difficult to say there is zero possibility of talks (between North Korea and the United States), but I think the probability might not be high," the official said when asked about the possibility of North Korea attending multilateral diplomatic events or holding talks with Washington.
The North is, in particular, unlikely to attend next week's APEC summit, the official said on condition of anonymity, adding the chances of talks between the two sides during the summit are slim.
The remarks come amid persistent speculation about a possible meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during the APEC summit, scheduled for next Wednesday and Thursday in Shenzhen, China, after Trump repeatedly offered to meet Kim for talks.
The official said that the possibility of a summit between Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the APEC summit "cannot be ruled out" and that Seoul is paying close attention.
Earlier this week, Trump mentioned the possibility of a meeting with Xi and Putin during the APEC gathering, saying that the agenda would include denuclearization and ending the war in Iran.
The South Korean presidential official noted that the possibility of "Korean Peninsula issues" being discussed at the potential meeting also cannot be "ruled out."
Asked about the impact of the U.S midterm election results on South Korea-U.S. discussions on Seoul's bid to retake wartime operational control (OPCON) of South Korean troops from the U.S., the official noted that the relevant discussions were "faring well."
Referring to Seoul's steps to expand the operational scope of its anti-piracy unit operating in waters off the Somali coast to areas closer to the Strait of Hormuz, the official said the move aims to protect South Korean nationals and vessels and participate in international cooperation to secure freedom of navigation.
The unit will be entitled to exercise the right to self-defense at the minimum necessary level in an emergency, but will not engage in war or combat or come under a different command system, the official said. "There will be no case of it entering into a dangerous situation."
Earlier this week, the South Korean Cabinet approved a bill seeking parliamentary consent for the government's plan to expand the operational scope of the Cheonghae unit from waters off the Somali coast to waters south of Oman in the Arabian Sea, closer to the Strait of Hormuz.
Following the Cabinet approval, the bill is set to be submitted to the National Assembly for approval.