Minister Chung Dong-young of the Unification Ministry on the 24th urged that U.S. President Donald Trump's visit to Korea on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit should be used for a meeting with North Korea, saying, "The North Korea-U.S. leaders must not miss this opportunity," and they "should make the decision (to meet)." The Minister analyzed that North Korea is also preparing for the possibility of talks between the United States and North Korea, such as by carrying out beautification work on the North Korean facilities at Panmunjom for the first time in a year.
The Minister said at a press briefing held at Government Complex Seoul that "I do not want to miss even a 1% chance."
Chung said, "Both leaders are big-minded leaders with bold imagination," adding, "It would benefit neither side to miss this opportunity and promise another time."
He emphasized, "Pushing for a North Korea-U.S. summit at another time would be much more difficult because it would require a lot of practical preparation and discussion."
The Minister stressed that this is a "heaven-sent opportunity" for President Trump and North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un to end a 72-year-old war, and that if it comes together, the Korean Peninsula will move into an era of peaceful coexistence and it will serve as a catalyst for peace and stability to take root in Northeast Asia.
The Minister mentioned "a tight schedule and venue issues," but said, "The reason a North Korea-U.S. leaders' meeting was possible in 32 hours on June 30, 2019, at the Freedom House on the southern side of Panmunjom was that security and protocol issues were relatively manageable."
He added, "It is true there are practical difficulties, but in the face of the grave task and historic duty of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, such things can be regarded as minor issues."
The Minister claimed that "signs" are continuing on both the U.S. and North Korean sides in preparation for a possible meeting. Special tours of Panmunjom by the United Nations Command (UNC) have been suspended, and it has been observed recently that the North conducted beautification work on its facilities at Panmunjom for the first time in a year.
The Minister said, "At Panmunjom, scenes were captured of the North cleaning, pulling weeds, tidying flower beds, and taking photographs," adding, "This kind of beautification work has been observed for the first time this year."