On the 24th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that, with U.S. President Donald Trump visiting China, the possibility of holding a U.S.-North Korea summit remains open, and that whether it materializes depends on North Korea.

At a meeting with reporters that day, a senior Ministry of Foreign Affairs official, asked whether, on the occasion of the U.S.-China summit, Seoul and Washington were discussing steps to realize a U.S.-North Korea summit, said, “The possibility appears to be open,” and added, “The key is whether North Korea will come out ‘now’.” He went on, “It is not clearly No or Yes yet.”

Earlier, on the 20th (local time), the White House announced that President Trump would visit China from March 31 to April 2 to meet President Xi Jinping. This has given rise to speculation that a U.S.-North Korea summit could be arranged.

The senior official said, “U.S. working-level officials appear to be preparing various options, because if President Trump takes an approach to North Korea that goes beyond common sense, they will need to keep pace,” and added, “It does not look like the initiative will be made (created) from below.” The comment is seen as suggesting that, if U.S.-North Korea talks take place, they could follow a top-down approach as in 2018.

Asked whether the government three-step denuclearization plan (halt, reduction, dismantlement) implies that talks on a halt could begin even without North Korea intent to denuclearize, the official said, “In the end, all of this (a U.S.-North Korea summit and the three-step denuclearization plan) requires North Korea to come out,” adding, “Otherwise, it is a tabletop exercise among ourselves.” He said the government is discussing with the United States a plan to restore the no-fly zones set under the inter-Korean September 19 military agreement. He added, “The United States has not yet agreed, and consultations are ongoing.”

Referring to the lack of progress on security consultations within the South Korea-U.S. fact sheet (joint explanatory material) on matters such as securing the right to enrich uranium and acquiring nuclear-powered submarines, the senior official said that schedules are being coordinated for a visit to South Korea by the U.S. working-level delegation, and that “it will proceed as scheduled.” The official cautioned, however, “The U.S. political situation is hard to predict, and complex issues such as Iran, the Russia-Ukraine war, and the U.S.-China summit are making progress slow.” He added, “For example, the State Department team handling those security consultations has been at a full stop due to the Iran issue, and not long ago was deeply involved in a Ukraine ceasefire.” If the start of consultations is delayed, the South Korean side is also considering visiting the United States, the official said.

On a question about whether the government would join NATO ‘Priority Ukraine Requirements List’ (PURL), he said, “We maintain the position that the invasion of Ukraine by Russia is a violation of international law and a challenge to the UN system, and therefore we oppose it.” He continued, “However, in view of the fact that we are not a European country, we have refrained from directly providing lethal weapons to Ukraine,” and added, “This principle will be maintained.” PURL is a system under which the North Atlantic Treaty Organization pools funds to purchase U.S.-made weapons and supply them to Ukraine.