Media: North Korea may hold summit with US in March 2026

North Korea is expected to hold a summit with the United States in March 2026.

South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said that although the anticipated summit during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Gyeongju did not materialise, multiple indications suggest that Pyongyang has been preparing for potential dialogue with Washington behind the scenes, Caliber.Az reports, citing Newsis.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump failed to coordinate a meeting schedule with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in October.

The NIS added that signs have been detected of North Korea analysing the tendencies of working-level officials within the US administration and making subtle shifts in its nuclear rhetoric.

Since Kim Jong Un hinted at conditional talks with Washington during the Supreme People’s Assembly in September, he has refrained from direct statements on nuclear armament, signalling a more calibrated approach.

The NIS further noted that, considering US President Donald Trump’s willingness to meet Kim during his Asia tour, North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui reportedly reconsidered her planned visit to Russia until the last moment.

Diplomatic engagement between North Korea and the United States has remained highly volatile since the historic meetings in 2018 and 2019, yet both sides now signal a potential revival of summit diplomacy.

Kim Jong Un affirmed in July 2025 that relations with Trump are “not bad,” suggesting an openness to talks even as he insisted that any dialogue must respect North Korea’s status as a nuclear weapons state.

Meanwhile, the US stated that a meeting is “not on the schedule” despite Trump expressing willingness to meet Kim during his Asia trip.

Intelligence from South Korea’s NIS predicts a high likelihood of a US–North Korea summit after joint US–South Korea military drills in March 2026, reflecting a strategic link between military posture and diplomatic timing.

By Jeyhun Aghazada