Seoul says N. Korea prepares for possible Kim-Trump meeting

North Korea is preparing for a possible summit between leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump, according to a new assessment by South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS).

The NIS believes that discussions about such a meeting began during Trump’s recent visit to Asia, Caliber.Az reports per Bloomberg.

South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong-kweun, citing the NIS briefing, said Pyongyang has been collecting intelligence on U.S. officials engaged in backchannel talks on North Korea policy. “North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui reviewed whether to proceed with a planned visit to Russia after Trump expressed a willingness to meet Kim,” Lee told reporters.

The potential meeting would mark the first encounter between the two leaders since 2019, when talks broke down without progress on denuclearization. During his latest trip to Asia, Trump said he was still open to meeting Kim, though “scheduling conflicts” prevented it from happening.

Another South Korean lawmaker, Park Sun-won, said the NIS views the chances of a new summit as strong. “Backed by growing alignment with Russia and strengthened ties with China, North Korea could seek to improve ties with the US,” he said. “The NIS sees a high likelihood of a summit between North Korea and the US.”

Kim Jong Un, for his part, has indicated readiness for renewed dialogue with Washington but continues to reject denuclearisation as a precondition.

Despite earlier diplomatic efforts, Trump’s summits with Kim failed to halt Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs. Since then, North Korea has deepened military cooperation with Russia, emerging as one of Moscow’s key partners amid its ongoing war against Ukraine.

By Khagan Isayev