Seoul official hints at US-North Korea meeting this year

Seoul: A meeting between North Korea and the United States on the sidelines of this year s APEC summit in South Korea cannot be ruled out , according...

Seoul: A meeting between North Korea and the United States on the sidelines of this year's APEC summit in South Korea "cannot be ruled out", according to a Seoul foreign ministry official.

Ties between Pyongyang and Washington have been in the deep freeze since a high-profile summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump in 2019 collapsed over sanctions relief and Pyongyang's nuclear concessions.

Since then, North Korea has repeatedly declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear state, though Kim has recently signalled willingness to reopen a dialogue with Washington.

A high-ranking official in South Korea's foreign ministry said on Friday in New York that such talks could take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum, due to start in late October.

"We cannot rule out the possibility," the official said when asked about the prospective meeting.