South Korea sees little prospect of US-North Korea contact around APEC

SEOUL – South Korea’s presidential office said on Nov 12 it saw little prospect of US-North Korean contact around the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China or of Pyongyang’s participation in APEC-related events.US President Donald Trump has sought to restart talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, but US and South Korean officials see fading chances of a meeting in 2026.A senior South Korean presidential official, commenting on a recent spike in tensions along the inter-Korea border, also said no additional North Korean activity had been detected at the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) beyond preparations for possible loudspeaker broadcasts.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister, Kim Yo Jong, announced in October that her country was considering restarting propaganda broadcasts over loudspeakers near the inter-Korea border, ratcheting up tensions with Seoul.South Korea says that North Korean mines planted as part of its fortification activity in the DMZ caused a blast in September that seriously wounded several of its soldiers.North Korea denies responsibility, calling the incident a South Korean fabrication.South Korea is also monitoring whether Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the APEC summit in Shenzhen next week, given that Seoul had some diplomatic issues to discuss with Moscow, the official said, without elaborating.A possible trilateral summit involving the United States, China and Russia at the gathering could provide an opportunity for the countries to discuss North Korea, he said. REUTERS