President Lee to visit ASEAN and APEC from the 16th to 19th; Cheong Wa Dae says North Korea-U.S. contact unlikely

[Financial News] President Lee Jae Myung will visit Manila in the Philippines and Shenzhen in China from the 16th to 19th to attend ASEAN-related summits and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. A senior Cheong Wa Dae official said, “Overall, I think the likelihood of contact between North Korea and the United States in connection with the two meetings is low.”
Wi Sung-lac, chief of the Office of National Security (ONS), announced President Lee’s itinerary for the trip at a pre-departure briefing held at the Chunchugwan Press Center at Cheong Wa Dae on the 12th. Wi said, “During this trip, we will build mutual trust through separate contacts with key leaders in various formats and further strengthen substantive cooperation.”
On the 16th, President Lee will attend the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Summit in Manila and share progress in implementing the vision for the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) between Korea and ASEAN announced last year. Wi said, “We will propose ways to strengthen cooperation in future sectors such as AI and cultural and creative industries, creating a foundation for our companies to continue expanding their presence.” At the Korea-Mekong Summit that same day, they will discuss cooperation on critical minerals and responses to transnational crime.
On the morning of the 17th, he will present responses to food and energy crises and plans for cooperation within ASEAN+3, which will mark the 30th anniversary of its launch next year, at the ASEAN+3 Summit. In the afternoon, he will attend the East Asia Summit (EAS) for the first time since taking office, state the government’s position on regional issues such as online scams, and explain its vision for peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula. Wi said, “We plan to call on countries in the region to continue supporting and constructively contributing to our government’s efforts to resume inter-Korean and North Korea-U.S. dialogue and establish lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.”
On the 18th, President Lee will travel to Shenzhen, China, to attend the APEC CEO Summit and a welcome dinner hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife. The following morning, he will attend the plenary session of the APEC summit and then return home. Wi said that at the plenary session, “we will call for ways to respond to energy supply-chain disruptions originating in the Middle East and for cooperation to restore the multilateral trading system.” He added, “At the APEC summit, we will work to establish as key APEC-wide agenda items the discussions on AI cooperation and responses to demographic change that we led at last year’s APEC summit in Gyeongju.”
In addition, the possibility of contact between North Korea and the United States, as well as a U.S.-China-Russia summit, has been raised repeatedly ahead of APEC in Shenzhen. During a question-and-answer session after the briefing, a senior Cheong Wa Dae official said of North Korea-U.S. contact, “It would be premature to say there is no possibility of contact at all,” but assessed the likelihood of backchannel contact during the meetings as low. The official said that widening the timeframe to include before and after the trip did not mean the possibility was high, adding, “We are preparing and are also in communication with the United States.”
On the possibility of a U.S.-China-Russia summit, the official said, “We cannot rule out the possibility, so we are watching closely.” The official explained, “We cannot categorically say there is no possibility that issues related to the Korean Peninsula will be discussed, so we are watching that as well and maintaining necessary communication with the relevant countries.” Regarding President Lee’s bilateral meeting schedule, the official said, “We are preparing several bilateral meetings,” adding, “We are adjusting the schedule to hold only the number of bilateral meetings that are absolutely necessary.”
Regarding a motion seeking approval to extend the Cheonghae Unit’s deployment and expand its operational area from waters in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia to the open sea south of Oman, the official said, “We are consulting with the National Assembly.” The official added that diplomatic communication was being maintained with relevant countries, including the United States and Iran.
On the purpose of expanding the operational area, the official said it would “provide protection for our citizens and vessels” and that “we are taking part in international cooperation for safe and free navigation.” The official also stressed the need to “safeguard our energy security interests.” The official said, “In an emergency, we will exercise only the minimum right of self-defense necessary,” while emphasizing, “We will not participate in a war or combat.” The official added, “We will not come under another command structure.”
[email protected] Seong Seok-woo Reporter