South Korea sees little prospect of US-North Korea contact around APEC

SEOUL: South Korea’s presidential ​office said on Thursday it saw little prospect of US-North Korea contact around the ‌upcoming APEC summit in China or of Pyongyang’s participation in APEC-related events.

US President Donald Trump has sought to restart talks with North Korean ​leader Kim Jong Un, but US and South Korean ​officials see fading chances of a meeting this ⁠year.

A senior South Korean presidential official, commenting on a ​recent spike in tensions along the inter-Korean border, also said no ​additional North Korean activity had been detected at the Demilitarized Zone beyond preparations for possible loudspeaker broadcasts.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister, Kim ​Yo Jong, announced last month that her country was considering ​restarting propaganda broadcasts over loudspeakers near the inter-Korean border, ratcheting up ‌tensions ⁠with Seoul.

South Korea says North Korean mines planted as part of its fortification activity in the DMZ caused a blast in September that seriously wounded several of its soldiers. ​North Korea denies ​responsibility, calling ⁠the incident a South Korean fabrication.

South Korea is also monitoring whether Russian President Vladimir Putin ​attends the APEC summit in Shenzhen next ​week, given ⁠Seoul had some diplomatic issues to discuss with Moscow, he said without elaborating.

A possible trilateral summit involving the United ⁠States, China ​and Russia at the gathering ​could provide an opportunity for the countries to discuss North Korea, the official ​said.