Overview
- South Korea’s National Intelligence Service told lawmakers that multiple indicators suggest Pyongyang is preparing for dialogue with Washington despite the lack of a meeting during APEC.
- The agency assessed that a summit is most likely after the annual U.S.–South Korea exercises in March, characterizing the probability as high.
- Pyongyang continues to restrict engagement with Seoul, instructing overseas missions to avoid Korean groups and to calibrate responses differently toward South Korea and the United States.
- NIS said Pyongyang carefully weighed allowing Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui’s trip to Russia in light of potential talks with Washington.
- President Trump expressed willingness to meet Kim Jong-un during his Asia tour, while reporting indicates Kim has signaled openness to talks if denuclearization demands are dropped.