NIS Says North Korea–United States Singapore Summit Could Happen at Any Time; No Contact Yet on Lee Jae Myung’s Proposed Multilateral Peace Talks

[Financial News] On the 1st, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said a North Korea–United States Singapore Summit could happen "at any time." While no specific contact between the two sides has been confirmed, the agency believes there are signs of dialogue. By contrast, it said there has been "no related dialogue or contact yet" regarding the multilateral talks among the parties to end the war that President Lee Jae Myung proposed in his Liberation Day commemorative address on Aug. 15.
The National Assembly Intelligence Committee received a briefing from the NIS that day on North Korean developments and other pending issues, including the possibility of a North Korea–United States Singapore Summit. After the meeting, Yun Kun Young, the ruling party secretary on the committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, told reporters that the NIS said "no facts have been confirmed regarding specific contact between North Korea and the United States," but also reported that "there are signs that suggest dialogue is taking place."
U.S. President Donald Trump has recently highlighted his ties with Kim Jong Un, keeping open the possibility of renewed talks between North Korea and the United States. On the 15th of last month, he posted a photo on social media of his 2019 meeting with Kim in Panmunjom and stressed that "Kim Jong Un and I get along well." He has since continued to emphasize his relationship with Kim by posting additional photos from past North Korea–United States Singapore Summits.
At home and abroad, there is also speculation that a North Korea–United States Singapore Summit could resume after the United States midterm elections in November. However, North Korea has so far shown no clear response to Trump’s repeated messages about dialogue.
Meanwhile, the NIS reported that "there has been no dialogue or contact so far" regarding the multilateral discussions among the parties to end the war that Lee proposed. In his Liberation Day commemorative address last month, Lee suggested, "Let us begin discussions among the parties to end this very old war," adding that "effective measures to halt North Korea’s advancing nuclear capabilities could also be discussed." Although he did not specify the parties involved, the idea is understood to involve a multilateral framework with the two Koreas, the United States and China. It is closely tied to Lee’s North Korea and diplomatic strategy, which seeks to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula through a role as a "pacemaker" supporting North Korea–United States dialogue and through the phased pursuit of exchange, normalization and denuclearization under the so-called END initiative.
[email protected] Song Ji-won Reporter