SEOUL: US President Donald Trump is expected to arrive in South Korea on Oct 29 for the upcoming APEC summit, South Korea’s presidential office said on Thursday (Oct 16).
The US president is expected to be “arriving on the 29th”, an official from the office told AFP.
US officials maintain that Trump may meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, which runs until Nov 1.
Seoul has also said a meeting on the sidelines between the United States and North Korea “cannot be ruled out”.
South Korean media cited the national security advisor as saying that Trump is expected to stay in the southern city of Gyeongju until Oct 30.
A meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will likely take place around that time, according to the reports.
Last week, Trump threatened to scrap a planned meeting with Xi at the forum, in retaliation for Beijing imposing export curbs on rare earth technologies.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, however, told CNBC on Wednesday that Trump still planned to meet Xi.
Trump has also said he hopes to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un again, possibly this year, while Pyongyang has said Kim is open to future talks under certain circumstances.
The pair met three times during Trump’s first term, but ultimately failed to secure a lasting agreement on North Korea’s nuclear programme.
Since then, Pyongyang has declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear state.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/south-korea-apec-summit-trump-oct-29-5406126
