Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Monday it is unlikely US President Donald Trump will attend the forthcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit to be held in South Korea later this month.
Cho provided an affirmative response, stating “yes” when asked whether Trump would visit South Korea in the event of the APEC 2025 during an annual audit of the Foreign Ministry by the National Assembly.
Cho, however, further explained that “it is highly unlikely that (Trump) will attend the leaders’ summit.”
Seoul has largely expected Trump to make his two-day trip to South Korea beginning Oct. 29, following his trip to Japan and Malaysia, to attend the ASEAN summit on Oct. 26.
During his stay, he is likely to attend several APEC-related events, including the APEC CEO Summit, but not the main APEC leaders’ summit scheduled for Oct. 31 to Nov. 1 in the historic city of Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province.
When asked about the venue for the summit between President Lee Jae Myung and Trump during the US president’s visit to South Korea, Cho said it would “probably be Gyeongju.”
Cho also dismissed speculation that the meeting could be held in a brief or informal format, saying, “That is not the case.”
Cho added that potential summits between Lee and Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as between Trump and Xi are also “likely to be held in Gyeongju.”
Xi’s visit would be his first to South Korea in more than 11 years, since July 2014, while Trump’s trip would be his first since June 2019 during his first term.
It would also mark the first time in 13 years — since the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit — for the leaders of the US and China to make concurrent visits to South Korea.
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com
