Trump officials discussing setting up meeting with Kim Jong-un during Asia trip

Seoul, Oct 18 (IANS) Officials of US President Donald Trump's administration have privately discussed arranging a meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his upcoming visit to Asia, Yonhap news agency reported citing a CNN report Saturday.

The officials, however, have "not yet done any of the serious logistical planning they would need to do to arrange such a visit" and there have been no communications between Washington and Pyongyang, according to the report which cited sources familiar with the matter.

Trump's initial outreach to Kim earlier this year also went unanswered as the North declined to accept the letter, the report said.

The White House remains far more focused on preparing a meeting between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping during the trip, though officials have "left the door open" to a meeting with Kim, it added.

Trump's interest in a possible meeting with Kim was initially piqued during his summit with President Lee Jae Myung at the White House in August, during which Lee suggested that the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering could offer an opportunity to meet with Kim, according to CNN.

The APEC summit is slated to take place in the southeastern city of Gyeongju on October 31 and November 1.

South Korea's top envoy to the United States said Friday that there is no indication yet that US President and North Korean leader will meet on the occasion of the APEC summit.

Ambassador Kang Kyung-wha made the remarks during a parliamentary audit at the South Korean mission to the UN in New York, amid lingering speculation that Trump could seek reengagement with Kim when he visits South Korea for the APEC Summit.

"President Trump has said he is open to dialogue, and North Korea has also shown an indication (leaning toward dialogue). But there is no sign yet that something will materialize on the occasion of the APEC (summit)," Kang said during the audit session of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee.

"But we are trying to follow up on the (related) developments while leaving open that possibility (of the Trump-Kim meeting)," Yonhap news agency quoted her as saying.

--IANS

/as