Why is South Korea monitoring the possible Trump-Xi-Putin meeting at the APEC summit?

First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo said discussions about issues concerning the Korean Peninsula could not be ruled out. He said the government would continue to monitor developments involving the United States, China and Russia.

What did Park Yoon-joo say about North Korea’s strategic position and its ties with Russia?

Park described North Korea as being in a considerably advantageous strategic position. In the committee discussion, lawmaker Park Sung-joon said North Korea’s strategic value and leverage had grown since the Russia-Ukraine war began, amid closer military and security ties between Pyongyang and Moscow.

S. Korea closely watching possible US-China-Russia summit: vice FM

Q: Is South Korea considering additional sanctions over North Korea’s illicit cyber activities?

Park Yoon-joo said the government was holding interagency consultations on possible additional sanctions over North Korea’s illicit cyber activities; he did not specify what measures were under consideration.

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Summary

South Korea is closely monitoring the possibility of a U.S.-China-Russia leaders’ meeting on the sidelines of next week’s APEC summit in Shenzhen, First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo said Thursday. Park said discussions on Korean Peninsula issues could not be ruled out. He described North Korea as being in a considerably advantageous strategic position amid closer military and security ties with Russia. The government is also holding interagency consultations on possible additional sanctions over North Korea’s illicit cyber activities.

Key Facts

The APEC summit is scheduled for Nov. 18-19 in Shenzhen, China.
The possible participants are U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Park made the remarks during a session of the parliamentary foreign affairs and unification committee, responding to a question from ruling Democratic Party lawmaker Park Sung-joon.
Park Sung-joon said North Korea’s strategic value and leverage had grown since the Russia-Ukraine war began, citing closer military and security ties between Pyongyang and Moscow.

By Yonhap

Published Nov 12, 2026 1:12 pm KST

People walk past an advertisement for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation China 2026 summit that will take place in Shenzhen from Nov. 18 to 19, at the Shenzhen-Bao'an International Airport in Shenzhen, in China's Guangdong province, Nov. 2. AFP-Yonhap

South Korea is closely watching developments surrounding the possibility of a trilateral summit among the leaders of the United States, China and Russia on the sidelines of next week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, a senior Seoul official said Thursday.

First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo made the remarks during a session of the parliamentary foreign affairs and unification committee in response to Rep. Park Sung-joon of the ruling Democratic Party's question about the prospect of such a meeting.

"We are closely monitoring developments involving the U.S., China and Russia, as the possibility of discussions on issues concerning the Korean Peninsula (during the meeting) cannot be ruled out," Park said.

There have been discussions about a possible first-ever trilateral meeting among U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the APEC summit scheduled for Nov. 18-19 in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, according to foreign media reports.

The lawmaker said North Korea's strategic value and leverage have grown since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war amid closer military and security ties between Pyongyang and Moscow, adding that a trilateral summit could help create momentum toward a resolution of the war in Ukraine.

In response, Park said North Korea is in a "considerably advantageous strategic position" and the government will continue to closely monitor relevant developments.

Asked about possible additional sanctions against North Korea over its illicit cyber activities, the vice minister said the government "is holding interagency consultations" on the matter.

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